Bad Little Girl
by Whenrabbitsattack2-0
Summary: Cake has taken Beemo to her big soccer game, so Fionna has the house to herself, and she can't be blamed for utilising that. Unfortunately, she's not as alone as she thinks she is, especially once Marshall gets trapped! This is a reboot of a fic on my Deviantart which can be accessed at the bottom of the chapter. Some cursing, mature themes, awkwardness and lots of lemony goodness
1. Chapter 1- Trapped And Breathless

'Fionna?'  
>'Yeah?' Cake walked into the room with Beemo at her side, the little computer console wearing a much too large football jersey, black shorts and soccer shoes.<br>'Beemo has a big game on today, and I'm going to stay and watch. You wanna come with?' Fionna shook her head as Cake picked up a green scarf and wrapped it around her furry neck.  
>'Nah, I'll stay here. It's too cold for me outside.' Cake nodded and picked up Beemo, before stretching down to the lower levels of the treehouse.<br>'Okay, we'll be back in about an hour and a half, Fi.' She called back up the ladder, before Fionna heard the door open and slam shut. She watched them go out the window, shivering at the thought of playing football in the chill late autumn wind.

She sat down on the couch and drummed her fingers on her lap, suddenly at a loss for what to do. She had an hour and a half of complete alone time, and she couldn't play Beemo. Suddenly a thought flashed across her mind, and she blushed, quickly trying to shoo it away. But as she stood up and retrieved a soda from their fridge, the idea languished in the back of her mind, unduly tempting. Sighing, she put her soda down on the kitchen bench, determined not to feel ashamed. It was her life, she could do as she pleased, and no-one had the right to judge her! Come to think of it, what's to say everybody didn't do it? She reasoned with herself as she walked into the bathroom and pulled down the animal skins, shutting the room off from the rest of the house.

Marshall-Lee floated languidly on top of the Treehouse roof, enjoying the fact that the overcast sky allowed him to come out during the day and perhaps only recieve a minor, human-like sunburn, which his vampire healing took care of almost instantly.  
>He sighed lazily, then floated down around Fionna's house, bored of simply hanging. He had seen Cake and Beemo leave a few minutes previously, so now seemed like the perfect time to maybe mess with Bunnyblue a little. He noticed that the bathroom window was open and floated through, stifling a gasp and making himself invisible when he realised Fionna was inside, letting down the animal skins that covered the doorway. He froze, half through the window, unsure as to whether to continue with his plan. Creeping Fionna out while she was in the bathroom seemed a little wacko. He wasn't that perverted. A sudden image of Fionna beckoning him into the shower flashed through his mind and he shook his head. Yep, definitely leaving. Suddenly, he heard the hinges of the window creak and he hissed in surprise, jerking his legs in through the window before his feet where cut off by the edge of the windowsill.<p>

Fionna frowned and stopped, moving the window back and forth but didn't hear the strange noise she had heard when she first started closing the window. She shrugged and snapped the latch shut before stepping back and leaning over the bath, turning on the tap and adding copious amounts of bubblebath to the water.

Marshall-Lee watched her in amusement, before looking around the room and realising that all his exits were blocked. He inspected the animal skins quickly, but they hung too close to the ground. And if he moved one, Fionna would realise someone was there and flip out. Sighing mentally, he turned back around and clapped a hand over his mouth, involuntairly floating a good few feet backwards before he hit the wall with a soft thump.

Fionna paused, dropping her bra on the ground and picked up her shirt, holding it to her chest.  
>'Hello? Is someone there?' She called out nervously, poking her head out through a small gap in the middle of the animal skins.<br>'Hello-o?' Hearing no reply, she frowned, but went back to her bath, carelessly tossing her shirt over her shoulder and starting to unzip her skirt.

Marshall-lee stared at her, completley transfixed as she removed her skirt, then rolled off her socks. As her thumbs slid under the edge of her panties, he squeezed his eyes shut and quickly turned around, quietly placing both hands against the wall and splaying his fingers, breathing shallowly so she wouldn't hear. He opened his eyes and stared at the worm-eaten wood in front of his face, a thousand and ten thoughts racing through his mind.

Sure, he liked Fionna. And maybe in a few years, when she was a little older, he had thought that maybe he'd take her out somewhere. Eat a cheesedog. Watch the stars.  
>Make out.<br>But not yet, no-o way. She was still only sixteen, and despite his rather excellent (if he did say so himself) reputation, he wasn't the type to go after the barely-legal ones. And Fionna wasn't just some girl. If he broke her heart she would barbecue him on a spit and feed his liver to a giant goldfish-beast. While she tap-danced on his grave.

He heard a splash and a contented sigh from behind him and slowly, keeping his face tight just in case he managed to see something he wasn't meant to see, turned around.  
>Fionna dropped her bunny hat on the floor and sank deeper into the bubbles, smiling happily as the suds poofed up around her shoulders. It made her look like a guy-version of the Ice Queen with a long-ass beard. She stretched out of the water and reached up to the window sill, grabbing a light green bar of soap. As she rubbed it along her arms, sitting up straight again, she began to whistle a vaguely familiar tune.<p>

Marshall-Lee's eyes popped open wide as she sat up, the foamy white bubbles slowly sliding down her clavicles and dripping into the water from the tip of her slick breasts. As she rubbed the soap bar across her chest, humming as her hands grazed across her strawberry nipples, Marshall-lee quickly slapped a hand across his nose, wary of the familiar sense of pressure the he could feel receeding the back of his head and into other places. If he got a nosebleed now, the maroon liquid dripping onto the floor would totally give him away.

Fionna stuck her leg into the air and soaped up, grunting as she stretched to reach her feet, before splashing the water in the bath over her body. She disappeared under the water for a few seconds, and Marshall-lee floated closer, unsure of what she was doing. A small trickle of bubbles rose up from the spot where she had vanished and then she burst through the surface of the water, shaking her head like a dog. She reached for an orange bottle of shampoo on the window sill and lathered it through several feet of her hair, singing as she did so.

' Good little girl  
>That's what I'm acting like<br>But who said that I  
>Had to always be fine<br>What if I flipped up the world?  
>To be a bad little girl.'<p>

Marshall-lee smiled. So _that_ was why it sounded familiar. He recognised it as the song he had sung for her that one time he had tried to get her to admit she was crushing on him. Turned out the whole stunt was to no avail. He watched her sluice the suds from her hair, folding his arms and smirking in spite of his situation. Why would she have bothered to remember his song if she didn't like him, just a little bit? She was totally in to him. She just didn't realise it yet.

As soon as Fionna had finished washing her hair out, she sat in the water and looked around herself guiltily.  
>' C-Cake? Beemo?' She called out, hugging her knees to her chest and flushing slightly. Marshall-lee raised an eyebrow, now casually floating over by their sink. Why would she be calling out for those guys? She knew they were gone, so what...?<p>

Fionna sank down beneath the remaining bubbles until all that remained of her in sight was her shoulders and head. She shifted slightly, then a few seconds later her breathing hitched. Another few moments passed then she closed her eyes and bit her lip. Marshall-lee watched her, confused, as she opened her mouth slightly and panted, her pink tongue sticking out over her lower lip and and her breath mixing with the steam that drifted off of the surface of the water.

Suddenly, Marshall-lee understood what he was witnessing and blushed profusely, flying away from the sink and grabbing the sides of his head with both hands. He tried to stop himself from hyperventilating as he shook his head rapidly. He would not picture what was happening behind him. If he was too loud, Fionna would hear him and then he would really be in the shit! Not that he was exactly in happy wonderland right now.  
>Though it definitely would have been in different circumstances.<br>Fionna moaned loudly then subsided into soft mewls; Marshall-lee heard the water splashing out of the tub behind him, slopping on to the floor. He gritted his teeth, turning around in spite of himself due to sheer curiosity. There was nothing he could do, though it seemed like it no longered mattered how loud he was, because Fionna would easily drown him out with her cries.  
>This was so wrong.<br>This was _SO_ wrong.

Fionna had her eyes still tightly closed and a red flush spread across her cheeks and down her neck. She bared her teeth then clenched them together sharply, her breath hissing quickly between them. He back arched as more water sloshed over the side, her nipples standing hard from her chest, betraying how aroused she was.

Marshall-lee tasted blood running over his upper lip and quickly wiped it away, before looking around frantically. He had to get out of here.  
>He realised that since Fionna was somewhat preoccupied, he could probably sneak out into her living room if he was really quiet and didn't make any sudden movements. He cautiously flew over to the animal skins and reached out for the highest hanging one.<p>

' Ah, M-Marshall...Ooh.'

He stopped dead in his tracks, his whole face flushing a dark crimson. Had she seen him? No she couldn't have, he was still invisible. So then was she..  
>He twisted around, as Fionna's left hand burst out of the water and gripped the side of the bathtub with so much force he thought she was going to break clean through the wood. She bit down hard on her lower lip, drawing a few droplets of blood before she opened her mouth and cried out, swallowing down her accelerated breaths before whimpering once again. Her knees, which were now visible pushed against either side of the tub, shook slightly as her grip loosened on the wood.<br>' Ah!... ahhh.'  
>She sighed passionately, tipping her head back. As her ribs heaved in and out of the water<br>she continued to breath heavily, her exhalations whistling out from between her lips.

Marshall-Lee absorbed the scene in front of him, his jaw hanging slightly slack as he watched her close her legs and roll her head from side to side, purring like a cat lying in the sun. Her smile said it all, a coy, guilty little curve to her dark red lips as she playfully flicked a bubble off of her navel.  
>That was so hot. Oh Gob.<p>

He needed out, right now, or he was going to explode. He pressed his lips together and rubbed a hand across his neck, feeling his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed, hard. But now that Fionna wasn't engaged in other matters, there was absolutely no way for him to get out without attracting her attention. Grimacing, he floated into the corner of the room that was farthest away from the bath and landed on the floor, sliding down the wall until he was sitting hunched in the triangular space.

Fionna touched her lip with one finger, then scowled when she saw the spots of blood. That was going to be hard to explain to Cake. Shrugging, she relaxed and threw her arms out over the sides of the bath, lying back against it and simply enjoying the calm and deep sense of satisfaction.

Marshall-lee stared at her, flicking his lower lip out from beneath his razor sharp teeth before catching it again. He looked down at his jeans as he extended one long limb out across the floor, frowning guiltily at the obvious shape jutting out from between his thighs. Glob dammit, he just had to be at her house on the one day that she decided to do this, didn't he?  
>His mind started replaying the whole sequence of events, and hesitantly, almost unconsciously, the thumb and index finger of his right hand started playing with the zipper on his jeans, shifting it up and down. Remembering the way her breasts had gleamed, their strawberry tips glowing softly as she arched her back out of the water, he noiselessly undid his jeans and slid them down his hips a few inches, allowing his erection to spring out, still encased in his jockey shorts. His finger tips slid below the waistband of his jockeys and wrapped themselves around the shaft, causing him to growl softly as the pulsation in his groin increased.<br>He stopped himself, nibbling on his lip again, ashamed and conflicted.  
>What the hell was he doing?<p>

He looked up as Fionna yawned then stretched her arms and stood up, stepping out of the tub. Marshall-Lee's left hand flew up to his mouth and he bit down forcefully on the pad of skin below his thumb to stop himself from groaning. Fionna paused next to the bath and stretched her back properly, then reached for a towel and began rubbing the fluffy material up her legs.  
>She was totally oblivious to the torture she was causing the vampire who remained hidden in the corner of the room. His eyes scanned her suprisingly mature body automatically. Large, smooth oval-shaped breasts, leading down to a gracefully curved waist and full, rounded hips. Though she had a surprsingly small patch of pubic hair, and it contrasted oddly with the blonde lengths hanging from her head.<p>

Helplessly, he extraced his cock from his underwear and began rubbing up and down, keeping his other hand firmly gripped between his teeth as Fionna started drying her upper body. She massaged her boobs around in a way that made Marshall-lee want to jump on her and simply take her, right there and then. His fingers were growing slick with sweat and pre-cum, and he couldn't help but moan slightly around the wedge of flesh he had imprisoned in his mouth as he clenched his fist and tugged. Though thankfully, Fionna was so absorbed in drying all her hair that she didn't appear to notice.  
>He would grab her and pin her down on the floor, licking off the remaining beads of water with his tongue as she writhed under his touch. Her mouth would taste like the sweetest food, particularly with the blood that was still visible in the cut on her lip. Her nails would clench in his back as he entered her, and she would be tight, so fucking tight and hot around him. She would call his name just like she had before and scream, her hips bucking against him as he rammed into her.<br>'_Ahh!..M-Marshall! Oh, Marshall-lee!'_

Marshall bit down even harder on his hand but he barely registered the blood that suddenly dripped into his mouth. He couldn't make a sound, but...!  
>With one finally tug, he inhaled sharply through his nose as he came into his hand, the hot burst of semen spilling down over his fingers. Marshall squeezed his eyes shut and focused on remaining silent. Uhh...<p>

Fionna froze, in the middle of wrapping the towel around her waist. She was sure she had heard something. It sounded like something hissing, or maybe sighing. She looked around and noticed a small green snake winding its way up the drainpipe for her bathroom sink. She stuck her tongue out at it, being very indisposed towads snakes ever since Cake had lured a bunch of them when she was trying to get rid of the PBH. The snake disappeared into a hole in the wall, and Fionna tucked one corner of the towel into place underneath her armpit indignantly. Stupid snakes.  
>She then picked up her clothes and hat and walked out of the room, climbing up the ladder to her bedroom.<p>

As soon as he could hear her footsteps on the floor upstairs, Marshall-Lee made himself visible again and snarled to finally release the tension, the afterglow of orgasm spiking when his fingertips brushed the tip. He leaned his head back against the wall, breathing heavily through his nose as he listened to Fionna walking around upstairs.  
>Well, this made everything more complicated.<br>He sighed as he considered the ramifications. Obviously, Fionna could never find out that this had happened, so nothing would've changed on her end. But he'd never be able to look at her again without thinking of this. Dammit.

After tucking everything back where it was supposed to be and zipping up his jeans, grunting slightly as the motioned stimulated his still-sensitive dick, he got up and floated over to Fionna's sink. He washed the cum off of his right hand, blinking at his other one as he did so. Huh, he was still bleeding. Must've bit down pretty hard if the vampire healing hadn't taken care of it already.

Deeming that he was now at least presentable, Marshall drifted out into her lounge and was surprised to find Fionna climbing down the ladder, fully dressed. Wow, she had done that quickly.  
>When she reached the bottom of the ladder, she jumped off and began to walk towards the kitchen bench, barely glancing into the main area of the lounge. Then she did a double take and stared in surprise at Marshall-lee floating casually in the center of her living room. They eyed each other for a few seconds.<br>' Um... Hi, are you in my house?' Marshall scanned her for a few seconds, multiple images flashing through his mind, before comprehending her words.  
><em>'Well Fionna, I was jacking off to you fingering yourself in your bathtub'<br>_He blushed at the unwarranted thought and managed to stutter out a somewhat coherent response.  
>' I,um... I.. hurt my hand. Yeah. And I.. D-didn't have any.. bandages left. Um... yeah.' (It was coherent, not eloquent.) Fionna raised an eyebrow at him skeptically, before shaking her head and walking into her kitchen, reaching into one of the top cupbords and pulling out a first-aid kit.<br>' I, um, think I can...help you with that.' She said sarcastically, mimicking the way he had posed the statment. Marshall-lee rolled his eyes at her, kind of annoyed at himself for giving her the opportunity to tease him. She had caught him off guard, but even so. That deserved some payback.

'Yeah well, I got here earlier but I could hear water splashing in the bathroom, so I figured I should probably amuse myself for a bit until you weren't naked.' He smirked at her, watching her blush before drifting around her and slowly licking the back of her neck, causing her to stiffen and blush even deeper in surprise.  
>' Heh, you always look so... <em>delicious<em>, when you blush.' He murmured, before Fionna whipped around and punched him in the stomach, causing him to fly about a metre back into the air as he huffed out a small grunt.  
>' Stop being a creep, Marshall! You can bandage your own damn hand!'<br>She yelled before sitting down on the sofa and folding her arms, her righteous indignation blunted somewhat by the red flush spread across her cheeks. Marshall-lee shook his head and popped open the first-aid kit, smiling to himself.  
>' Learn to take a compliment, Fi.' He sniped back, completely recovered from his earlier bout of being tounge-tied. Fionna threw him a look which he pretended not to see, then scowled in outrage.<br>Was it weird that he found her feisty attitude completely sexy? Naw, there was nothing wrong with liking a strong, independent woman. He glanced at her as he wrapped the bandage around his palm, weaving it deftly around his thumb and index finger. He cocked an eyebrow when he caught her staring at him, and she quickly turned her face to the side doing her best to act like she didn't care at all.

As he wound the last of the bandage around his hand and dug in the box for a safety pin, he mused over his inhibitions. It'd be hard for him to be around Fionna without getting a boner from now on, especially if her position was at all compromised. She had been completely vulnerable in that bathtub, and any situation that mimicked that would remind him enough to turn him on. And obviously, that was something of a problem. A noticeable, awkward... hard one.  
>Dragging her into a sexual relationship now probably wouldn't do her any favours, considering she probably understood as much about what she had done to herself as she understood why the sky was blue. Though he wanted to. So badly. And judging by the way she had cried his name, she wanted that too.<br>But beyond her age, he inexperience and general icky feeling towards sex everyone has when they're just getting into it, he also had to contend with Cake. She'd chop his balls off if she ever caught him trying to get it on with her.  
>So for now, he figured he would just have a little more fun embarrassing his Bunnyblue. And since he knew that she wanted him, he could now make his move whenever he felt like.<p>

**Author's note: so this is a rewrite/beta/reboot or whatever you wanna call it of a story I've already got up on Deviantart. The original was a three part thingy rife with lemony goodness, but it was also the first lemon I've ever written so don't judge if the quality isn't as high as some of the stuff I've on here.  
>Part one [original] d71lo9c  
>Part two: d725b2p  
>Part three: d73csup**

**So this one I'll probably be more then three chapters, and they ain't gonna get together 'officially' in this one as quickly as they did in that one [Read: lots of illicit sexy times] I don't even know why I'm doing this. Maybe I'm addicted to new things, whether they be reboot or brand new. IDK. just shoot me already, my faithful regulars. I am working on the other stuff, it's just slow going :(**

**-WRA**


	2. Chapter 2- 'Pillow fight' Yeah, Right!

' So Fionna,' He said conversationally as he placed the safety pin between his teeth so that he could tighten up the bandage.  
>' You might want to check the support structure of the Treehouse, I could hear something groaning pretty loudly while I was waiting.' He peeped at her face out the corner of his eye, satisfied to see the look of horror emphasized by a tasty shade of red. He loved making her blush. It was so gratifying.<br>' U-uhm, I didn't hear anything.' She replied, chewing on her lip nervously.  
>' Oh you might not have, sounded like you were having a lot of fun.' He placed a meaningful emphasis on the word fun, and Fionna turned crimson in response. She opened and closed her mouth like an asphyxiating fish as Marshall-lee nonchalantly lifted up his now-bandaged hand.<br>'There. Fixed.' Fionna looked at the bandage and frowned.

' How did you even hurt your hand?' She asked, desperate to direct the conversation topic off of herself. Marshall-lee froze for a moment, frantically searching his mind for a plausible retort.  
>' I, um.. was doing vampire stuff. You wouldn't understand.' He lied quickly, and Fionna raised an eyebrow skeptically.<br>' Sounds like an excuse to me. Why can't you tell me?' She smiled, pleased to have found a nick of his that she could pick at. Marshall-lee hissed at her, his eyes flashing red.  
>'Are you implying that I'm lying? That's a low blow.' He said musically, drifting closer to her. Fionna frowned slightly, confused. She was sure she had heard that sound before. That hiss.<br>' Marshall, were you...' she began then trailed off, eyebrows furrowed in thought. Marshall-lee raised an eyebrow before he drifted behind her, making himself invisible.  
>' You were asking me a question, sweetheart?' He murmured in her ear, causing Fionna to jump and then flail wildly at the air where she had heard him, but of course he had already moved away.<br>' Jeez, don't do that! And don't call me sweetheart, either.' Fionna demanded, looking around for the vampire. She heard a snap and a hiss behind her, and turned to see her can of soda she had left on the bench floating in mid air, before Marshall's hand slowly materialised around it and he took a drink.  
>' Hmm, cherry. I like your taste, sweetheart.' He said, grinning when she grit her teeth and she growled at him.<br>' I said, don't call me that.' She said flatly, balling up her fists. Not only was he teasing her, he was stealing her soda too! Talk about hypocritical, when he still held a grudge against his mom for doing the same thing.  
>' Make me.' Marshall challenged, chugging the rest of the can then playfully chucking it at Fionna. Try as she might not to rise to the bait, but with his knowing innuendos that scared the hell out of her and his cocky attitude, she couldn't help it.<p>

Her restraint snapped when the cherry soda got her in the forehead, and Marshall had no reaction other than to snicker when her hand reflexively jerked towards the injury. The snicker turned into a full on cackle when she lunged for him and he scooted out of the way easily, turning over onto his back.  
>' Boo.' He said, when she turned around and was confronted by his upside down visage directly in front of hers. Once again, she tried to catch him, but failed when he quickly flew a few metres to the right and landed on the ground.<br>' Can't catch this, toots.' Marshall announced, laughing as he actually made use of his legs for once and ran away from Fionna, the two of them leaving a trail of destruction in their path. Marshall pushed objects over to block Fionna, taunting her all the while; she scrabbled over the couch and kicked off funiture to try and follow the vampire as closely as possible.  
>' Get back here, you jerkface!' Fionna fumed, momentarily falling to her knees. Marshall-lee momentarily took flight again and performed a flip, doubling back on himself so that he was behind Fionna, reversing the direction of the chase.<br>' Make me...' Came the sing song reply, followed by an indignant yelp from Fionna when Marshall lightly slapped her butt before running away.

After three round circuits of Fionna's living room and kitchen- the debris littered the ground heavily- Marshall-lee finally lucked out and stepped on a stray cushion, causing him to slip. Though he of course caught himself before he could hit the ground, this was rendered null and void a few moments later when Fionna slammed into his back at high velocity. She tackled him to the ground, then quickly tried to scramble up on top of him and pin him. Marshall resisted impressively, his own pride getting to him as he decided not to use his demon strength against the adventuress.  
>Once he had twisted his arm out of Fionna's grip, he rolled sharply on to his side, throwing her off his back onto the ground with one of her legs hooked over his hip. Before she could recover, Marshall somehow managed to turn himself around completely and bring his knee up between them, allowing him the time to grab Fionna's wrists and then push her onto her back. Fionna growled and wrestled against his grasp, jerking up one of her legs and almost kneeing him in the crotch. He inhaled sharply at the fraction of contact then tutted darkly at Fionna as he poised himself over her on all fours, one leg on the outside of either hip.<br>' Near miss, sweetheart. You're lucky.' He said, catching her when she attempted it again and locking his leg around hers.

Fionna struggled for a few moments but their position was such that she was rendered completely immobile, as Marshall proceeded to trap her only free limb- her left leg- underneath his ankle. She strained and twisted, and arched her back, but nothing helped.  
>' Give it up, Fionna. I've got you completely at my mercy.' Marshall purred triumphantly, before hearing his words and suddenly realising he was correct. She <em>was<em> completely at his mercy. Their legs were twined together, and he had her wrists pinned above her head, leaving her torso open and unprotected. Marshall-lee bit his lip mischievously and stretched out their legs, lowering him closer to her. Fionna appeared surprised, and she jumped violently when he widened his stance and the denim of his skinny jeans was suddenly brushing skin instead of cotton sock.  
>' L-let me go!' She demanded a few seconds later, suddenly flushing as her chest brushed against his when she breathed in. A tiny fraction of a smile, played across Marshall's lips, satin black hair falling into his suddenly dark, deep red irises.<br>' Make me.' He murmured, as he ducked his head into her neck and inhaled. He felt Fionna shiver and she began to struggle again with renewed vigour, almost frantic.  
>' Seriously Marshall-lee, let me go <em>now<em>. Or I'll freak the math out.' Fionna said, trying to sound authoritative, but there was an edge to her voice that excited him.  
>' Kings don't take orders, baby.'<br>' D-don't call me that.' She protested weakly, sounding even less sure of herself then before. Marshall almost groaned. She was normally so tough and unassailable, and barely ever allowed anything or anyone to get the better of her. But right now, he had control over her, over someone who never let anyone control her. She was exposed and exploitable, because he could do whatever he wanted to her. In that moment, she belonged to him.  
>Gob, that was so damn sexy.<p>

Marshall-lee deigned to reply, instead ghosting his mouth lightly up and down her neck, not quite touching the skin until he reached her jaw, where he pressed his lips into the hollow just for a moment. Fionna froze up beneath him, completely still, before she started hyperventilating.  
>' M-marshall..' She squeaked after a moment, and Marhall-lee kissed his way back down her neck, stopping somewhere in the middle and slowly licking her. He could feel how hot her skin was becoming, and could've sworn her heart skipped a beat when he gave another lingering kiss, tongue and all.<br>' Yes, Fionna?' He replied in a somewhat hoarse tone, flicking his tongue out one more time. Her own unique flavour was just starting to bleed back into her skin through the harsh chemical taste and fake scent of the bubble bath. Bubbles. Bath. Fionna. Gleaming... His jeans were starting to feel really tight...  
>' We're back, Fionna! Beemo won her game!'<p>

Marshall-lee snapped back to reality with moments to spare, and he quickly disengaged himself from the adventuress. Fionna was now so completely mortified that she remained limply on the ground, looking up at the vampire in horror. Marshall-lee swallowed once, and found that he was panting, which was ridiculous, because he was dead. He didn't need air, so why was he gasping like a drowning sailor?  
>He saw Fionna's gaze drop to his pants and her eyes widen till they looked way too large for her face, pupils dialating and jaw dropping. For Satan's sake...<br>' Eyes up here, Fionna.' He hissed melodramatically, flushing slightly. In a momentary spark of inspiration, he quickly grabbed a pillow from the ground then kicked another in the general direction of the adventuress.

' Hey Sugarpi- What the plonk happened in here?!' Cake howled incredulously when she stretched up into the treehouse and was immediately met with carnage. The entire room was a huge mess, almost no piece of funiture left undisturbed and no picture left hanging straight. In the silence that followed, a teetering pot balanced on the wayward stove in the background crashed to the floor. Fionna would've laughed at how perfect the moment was if she wasn't busy being... whatever this was.  
>' And Marshall-lee, what the popcorn are you doing in my house?' Cake demanded, her tail puffing up threateningly behind her as her ears laid back. Marshall-lee shrugged nonchalantly, casually holding the pillow in front of his crotch in the most unsupicious way he could manage.<br>' Eh, I was around. Fi and I had an impromptu pillow fight, and it got a little intense. Right, sweetheart?' He said, looking at her and silently willing her to play along. Right now, he wanted nothing more that to simply bolt, but that would raise a shit load of awkward questions. He couldn't have that, or Fionna might find out about what happened in the bathroom through stringent cross examining. Oh shit, don't think about it, don't think about it...  
>' Uh, yeah. Intense. Sorry, Cake.' Fionna finally piped up from the floor, attempting to smile but failing miserably. However, this made her look rather sheepish, which was probably the emotion Cake wanted in this circumstance anyway.<p>

The calico cat sniffed at the two of them impetuously, while Beemo fiddled awkwardly with the tassels on the end of Cake's scarf as she stood behind her.  
>' Sorry is right, girly! You better get started cleaning this up. And don't think you can just leave, Marshall-lee!' Cake said, suddenly jabbing a claw at the vampire who was about halfway out the window at that point in time, still holding the cushion.<br>' Oh yeah? And how're you gonna stop me, kitty?' He sniped back instantly, dying (figuratively) to make a break for it. Cake hesitated, and Marshall-lee grinned, knowing he had won. Cakers couldn't do a thing, and she knew it.  
>' That's what I thought. Laters, ladies.' He pronounced cockily, disappearing out of the window. Cake ran over and sucked in a huge lungful of air, all set to let it rip, but was cut off when she was hit in the face with the pillow. She yowled angrily and tore the item to shreds in seconds, then she gave up on the theatrics and screamed a garbled mixture of insults and profanities at the slowly receding back of Marshall-lee as he disappeared behind a hill.<p>

Fionna watched this in silence, completely bewildered by the dramatic turn of events. Before she had any time to actually think about it though, she felt small hands tugging on her skirt and looked down to see Beemo, a worried 5-bit expression on her pixelated face.  
>' Fionna, I don't like it when Cake yells. It makes me ascared!' Beemo confided. Fionna patted the top of the little console's head.<br>' It's okay Beemo. Yo, Cake!' Fionna yelled, hoping the cat would hear her over her tirade. Cake stopped, her ears twitching. Then she looked over her shoulder, panting slightly.  
>' Yes, dearest?'<br>' Stop freaking at Marshall. He's long gone and you're frightening Beemo.' Fionna said with a firmness that slightly surprised Cake. Fionna didn't tend to play the role of moderator very often.  
>' Oh uhm.. Sorry, Bub.' Cake said rather mechanically towards Beemo. Then she sighed, and straightened a picture hanging next to the window.<br>' C'mon baby doll. Let's get this place straightened out.'

**Author's note: So, not so much lemon. More fluffy with a drizzle of citrus juice. This rewrite will be kind of similar to WISYF in that there will indeed be a story to compliment the filth, because I'm not your bargain basement smut-peddler. Take my pretentious storylines that immerse the porn or don't take it at all :P  
>Also, short chapter because this just seemed like logical place to end. Shoot me. *shrugs**gets shot*<strong>


	3. Chapter 3- Dream a Little Dream of Me

Marshall-lee paced back and forth inside his house, fingers curled nervously in his jet black fringe. His bass guitar lay abandoned against the amp after it had proved to be no worthy distraction from the thoughts flitting around inside his head.  
>After leaving, he'd tried to ease his frustrations by messing with some of the candy folk (naive little buggers never saw him coming) but no matter how terrified they got, it didn't make him laugh. It didn't afford any respite from the longing to go back to the treehouse and bed that skittish little rabbit.<br>Of course, when Prince No-balls had caught him, he'd gotten kicked out and issued an official warning (like that was supposed to scare him). So he'd gone home, with great difficulty. Honestly, the only thing stopping him from going back there right now and pinning her just like he had before was her damn cat. And even that seemed like a minor obstacle. That actually kind of scared him.

This afternoon had been unusual, yes. Interesting, definitely. Confusing too. But the thing that was weirding him out was the intensity of his reaction. He'd seen Fionna scantily clad before, and while he'd appreciated the view it hadn't been that arousing for him. He'd known her since she was twelve, and when you've seen a girl develop from that age they do kind of fall more easily into the 'Best friend's kid sister' area instead of ' Chick I'd like to slam'. And sure, she was getting older now, she was filling out and it suited her- really suited her. But eh, even so. Before today, he still hadn't been serious when he flirted with her. That was just how they were.  
>But after seeing her in that bathtub... man, even just thinking about it now made him bite his lip and his stomach twist into intricate patterns. And for him, that was really, really fuckin' weird. Why was he still so turned on, why couldn't he get the thought of her and him out of his head? He had the sound of her sighing his name set on replay.<br>Obviously she wanted him, on some level. Even if she had no clue why. And it wasn't like that was exaclty surprising, when his competition featured guys made of bubblegum, stardust and slime. Ew.  
>The part that was creeping him out wasn't that Fionna was now suddenly a girl he could fuck. It's because suddenly, the only girl he wanted to fuck was Fionna.<p>

His body was still physically around late teens/early twenties, even if his mind was far past that (or so he liked to think). But it wasn't general hormonal randiness. It was her he wanted, and specifically her. Fionna.  
>And that had never happened to him before.<br>What the fuck was this? 

* * *

><p>'Ugh... I am exhausted, honey. Please don't ever spring that big a mess on me again.' Cake groaned dramatically as she hauled herself into her drawer-bed, arms draping loosely out the side like multi-coloured furry spaghetti. Fionna shrugged at her in apology.<br>' He just kinda turned up, Cake. He needed a bandage.' Cake's ears flicked skeptically (how could she make an ear flick look skeptical? It was supernatural)  
>' He's a vampire, baby girl. If he was still bleeding when he asked for one, he could've only been hurt about a minute before.' Fionna thought about this as she climbed into her bed, pulling up the furs. So if he had hurt himself while he was out doing 'Vampire stuff' (please, she wasn't that dumb), he should've been fine by the time he made it to the treehouse. Which meant he must've already been in the house when he hurt himself.<br>And that made no sense, because he couldn't have already been in there, she was alone before he turned up. He would've heard her- he would've heard...  
>Oh Gob.<br>' Night, sugarpie.' Cake called sleepily before turning over, interrupting Fionna's minor panic attack.  
>' Uh.. G-g'night, Cake.' She managed after half a beat, then blew out the candle and sank down into her covers, lying curled on her side. Her eyes remained wide open.<p>

She knew he sometimes hid out in the treehouse. She had told him not to because that was creepy, but he always retorted with that it was still his house and she couldn't tell him when he could come to his own property (And it wasn't like he ever listened to her anyway). So that meant he could've been in the treehouse the entire time this morning.  
>The. .<br>That hadn't been coincidental, those little double entendres he kept dropping when he was talking to her. He knew. He knew what she had been doing because he had listened to her. That perverted little jerkface!  
>Fionna could feel her cheeks burning at the thought. She had made a lot of noise, because she knew with everybody gone she had no reason to hold back- or so she had thought. She had even said his gob-damned name at one point (He just... sometimes the thought of him touching her like that made her feel all shivery and twitchy). But unless he had been listening very hard indeed, he wouldn't have heard that. She hoped.<br>Dammit, either way, she'd never be able to face him again now, especially not with what happened after. She didn't even want to think about that now, but she couldn't help it. The feeling of his tongue against her neck suddenly flooded the forefront of her mind.

They had been so close together. Tangled up in each other. He had held her down like he wanted to keep her there, like he wanted to touch her and hold her. She hadn't liked being so helpless- that was never a word she would let someone describe her with- but for some reason having him so near her had made her not mind as much. And he had kissed her like.. Like she didn't even know how. It had felt strange. In a good way, which sounds really wrong but it was true.  
>When he was her mental focus, she was treated to this weird cocktail of emotions she couldn't even begin to decipher, and it had only gotten more complicated now. She wanted to ask him how he'd hurt himself, why he hadn't left if he realised what she was doing, how he wasn't embarrassed or-or ashamed or disgusted. And why he had kissed her like that, and what the hell was going on in his pants afterwards. So many questions, and she'd never be able to find the balls to ask him. Because no matter how tough or strong or brave she was, when it came to guys- well, just Marshall, more or less- and what he did to all her squishy heart-guts and below, she would always chicken out.<br>It just seemed like there was so much more at stake with things like that. More than just a scrape which could be fixed with a.. a bandage. She didn't know how she would mend a bruised heart.

' Whatcha thinking so hard about, bunny-baby?' Fionna jumped at the sound of that voice and immediately felt heat rush up her neck to her face.  
>' M-Marshall!?' She nearly shrieked, but then she felt a finger press against her lips and then a vague sense of pressure along her back. He snaked his free arm over her waist and pulled her in against him, simultaneously trapping her upper arm and twining his fingers through hers on the lower. Fionna could feel his breath behind her ear.<br>' Quiet down, banshee. Or we'll get caught by kitty.' Fionna obliged begrudgingly and tried to turn around, but Marshall-lee held her in a vice like grip, and she couldn't move to see his face. She didn't like how she couldn't see what he was doing. It reminded her too much of how he had held her captive this afternoon.  
>' What the hell are you doing in my bed, Marshall-lee?' Fionna hissed venomously. A conversation with him right now would be way, way too hard. She did not want this.<br>' I couldn't help myself, Fionna. Just thinking 'bout you and me... It was doing my head in.'  
>' What do you mean 'You and me?' There isn't any you and me, there's just me and then you happen to kind of be around sometimes in the same place.' She told him over her shoulder, giving a glare even though she knew it wouldn't be seen. She just wanted him gone, no matter how badly she had to treat him.<br>' Liar liar... Pants on fire...' Marshall-lee chuckled darkly, somehow managing to make that sound incredibly sexy. Fionna was about to protest, but then she stiffened when she felt his lips against her spine. He kissed up to the nape of her neck, and Fionna felt one of the hand that was wrapped around her shift slightly, so that he was rolling one of the buttons of her pajamas between his fingertips.|

' I think we should continue from before we were interrupted. What d'ya reckon?' He murmured, smoothly popping the button. Fionna was about to tell him to lump off/ kick him in the shin (whichever happened first), but he interrupted her before he could.  
>' And before you tell me where to get off, think about it. Since when do I crash your room and cuddle up with you at night- at great personal risk- when I could be doing cool stuff?'<br>' Since when do you pin me to the floor then make me pretend we were pillow fighting? What's your point?' Fionna retorted. Marshall-lee laughed again then rolled her over onto her back, and she looked at his face for the first time, carefully keeping her expression neutral (don't you dare blush!). His features where sharply delineated in the moonlight but somehow still unclear, silvery highlights on his black hair. But his eyes were shining and sparkling, almost fever bright. He looked like he was under a spell.  
>' You would've kicked me out already if you didn't want me to be here. I know you, stop pretending.' Fionna yelped as he pulled her pajamas open. When exactly had he undone all those buttons? She tried to cringe away and curl in on herself, But Marshall-lee pinned her again and devoured her body hungrily.<br>' Like I said.. Liar-' He leaned in and kissed the side of her neck thoroughly, before trailing over on to one of her breasts. Fionna squirmed and kicked out underneath him as he licked her once, testing the waters. She thought about yelling out, but that would end as badly for her as it would for him. Catch 22. Marshall's eyes flashed up to hers again for a second.  
>'..Liar-' He shifted the rest of him further down her body as he moved over to the other side of her chest, sucking on the nipple and causing Fionna to bite the inside of her cheeks to muffle a rather indignant moan. Stop it, you manipulative dick!<br>' ..Pants-' She felt his hands move off of her wrists and immediately tried to stop him before he went any further, but discovered he had tied her hands to the sides of the bed using the sleeves of her pajamas. What the hell? When!? Marshall-lee grinned mischievously at her struggle, before placing his hand on her hips and kissing down her midriff. It tickled and Fionna spasmed, making Marshall give a small appreciative noise. She tried to kick out, do anything, but her feet were caught beneath the animal furs, and they were tucked down tightly by Marshall's weight.  
>' ..On-' Fionna heard a muffled tear, and pulled frantically against her bonds. She knew where he was going now, and she did not want him to. No no no no no...<br>'..Fire.'

She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting to feel his hands there, but instead... nothing. Slowly she opened her eyes realising she was panting hard. Marshall-lee had his hands on either side of her hips, poised over her body and he was simply watching her expression.  
>' What are you so afraid of?' He questioned after a moment. Fionna stared at him as she tried to calm her breathing down and figure out what the hell was going on. After a few seconds, Marshall-lee slowly lowered himself down and put his cheek against the base of her stomach, and she felt his hands slide down her thighs under the material.<br>' I... I-I...' She stuttered, trying to come up with an answer.  
>' It's because... You.. you were there! You heard me, you know.' She admitted, looking away from him and gritting her teeth when she felt heat rush into her face. Oh, she did not like this.<br>' I know what?' Marshall fired back immediately, and Fionna shivered. The sensation of his smooth, cold skin rubbing against her belly when he talked was weirdly enjoyable. But she'd be damned before she let him know that.  
>' You know what I was doing in the bathtub.' She saw his eyes widen in surprise and felt his hands clench slightly on her legs.<br>' How do you know that?'  
>' Because y- If your hand was still bleeding when I saw you, you must've hurt it only a minute ago. Which meant you were in my house when you hurt yourself.' Marshall-lee raised an eyebrow.<p>

' Huh. I ought to give your I.Q more credit, bunny. You're smarter then I thought. But obviously, if I cared what you were doing in the bathtub I wouldn't have stayed this afternoon. It doesn't matter.'  
>' Yes it does, it matters to me, you pervert!I'mmadatyouandIdon'twantyouheresogetoutnow beforeIbreakyourballs!'<br>' That's not true though, is it?' He stated calmly, and she felt his nails run lightly down the outside of her thighs. They left a tingly, itchy trail in their wake that she needed to be touched again. Dammit, her mind was working properly, but the rest of her was completely disconnecting from her emotions and sending a complimentary 'fuck you' in the form of a twinge beginning below her belly button and spreading downwards.  
>' Of course it's true, now get off me!'<br>' Fionna, I know you want me. You said so yourself.' Fionna's jaw dropped and she felt her whole body flood with an instant shock of panic-heat. Oh. My. Glob.  
>' You.. Y-you..' Marshall-lee smiled and kissed her stomach once, in a way she would've almost called romantic if it weren't for a slightly more animal instinct evident in his gaze.<br>' But you're still protesting. Baby, we've established you don't need to freak, so why're you still so frigid? What's bothering you about me being here?'

'It's not because you're here in my room- well, not anymore, I guess- it's because you're.. _there_. And I don't want you to be, so leave.' She finished quickly, struggling in vain for the umpteenth time. An odd expression crossed the vampire's face, but then he flashed her a half smile.  
>' What.. here?' He said, kissing her hip. Fionna shook her head vigorously. He was teasing her, that was not fair and she wanted him out. Now.<br>' Here?' He asked again, pressing his lips into the joint between her hip and her thigh.  
>' Stop it, No! you know what I mean and don't you dare or I'll kick you into next week!' She hissed at him, still wary of Cake waking up.<br>' So you mean.. here?' Marshall-lee said innocently, and Fionna made an odd little yelping noise when his tongue slid once up her sex. Marshall-lee laughed shortly at Fionna's expression, then kept his eyes on her face as he licked her again. Fionna inhaled sharply and glared at him.  
>' You. Are. So. Dead.' She muttered.<br>' You're stating the obvious, doll.' Fionna was about to reply but cut herself off by biting down hard on her lower lip when she felt him enter the gates, shallow but firm investigation. He appeared annoyed by the fact that she refused to make any noise, so delved deeper. Fionna was unable to stop herself from giving a shamefully breathy moan when he pushed inside her and immediately felt embarrassed by her lack of self control.  
>Glob. She obviously couldn't stop him, but really she had known subconsciously that she wasn't going to the moment she had felt his lips against the back of her neck. She was scared, but this was an adventure. Her fear had been the one protesting, while her curiosity and whatever it was that had made her say his name wanted to see where this was going. It was new, and it felt dangerous for some reason. She didn't understand what she was getting herself into by letting him do this, but she wanted to understand.<br>She felt him pull back out of her and gave a small grunt in protest. But then she felt his hands move and when she opened her eyes a moment later, Marshall-lee was gone.

' Fionn-aaah!'  
>Fionna jerked sleepily in her bed at the sound of her name, rising out of a half-forgotten dream. It had been something good.. As she tried to remember it, everything else that had happened suddenly pushed all memories of said dream away.<br>She sat bolt upright and clutched at her pajamas, but was confused to find they were fully buttoned. What? but when Mar- M... He had left, they'd been undone, and she didn't remember doing them back up. He'd pulled it entirely off her upper body and tied her to the bed, and that was how she was when she finally fell asleep. People can't get redressed in their sleep, can they?  
>' Fionna? You okay, darling?' The adventuress looked up to see Cake's head poking up over the ladder, a mild look of worry on her face. Fionna hesitated for half a moment. She couldn't tell her sister about last night. if there had even been a last night. She could've dreamt the whole thing, residual images from what had happened earlier. But that was even more embarrassing then if it had actually happened. She hadn't known dream sensations could be so... intense.<br>' Yeah, I um... I'm fine. What's up?'  
>' Breakfast is ready honey, you come and get it when you're dressed.' Cake told her, as the cat's head drew away again. Fionna stayed freeze-framed in her bed for a few more moments then mechanically pushed her fringe back and shook her head.<br>'It was just a dream... Just a.. dream.' She murmured to herself as she stood up, before stripping off her pajamas and walking over to the cupboard to grab her clothes. She didn't even notice the tear ripping downwards from the last button hole in the red material. 


	4. Chapter 4- Stress Relief

Amp powered on and up? Yep.  
>Bass plugged in and tuned? Check.<br>Kick-ass song in mind? Uh-huh.  
><em>'Let's see if this helps-'<em> Marshall-lee thought grimly, running his fingers lightly over the strings of the axe and listening to the distortion. After upping the gain just a few more increments, He started to play.

_'Scotty doesn't know_  
><em>That Fionna and me<em>  
><em>Do it in my van every sunday<em>

_She tells him she's in church_  
><em>But she doesn't go<em>  
><em>Still she's on her knees<em>  
><em>And Scotty doesn't know-'<em>

She hadn't been on her knees though. She had been on her back, writhing and twisting underneath him. At first it had seemed sexy, but then she had kept shutting him out. She just wasn't letting herself go, and letting him in. He wanted her to relax, not completely but just to be okay with- No, focus!

_'Fionna says she's out shopping_  
><em>but she's under me and I'm not stopping<em>

_'Cause Scotty doesn't know_  
><em>Scotty doesn't know<em>  
><em>Scotty doesn't know<em>  
><em>Don't tell Scotty<em>  
><em>'Cause Scotty doesn't know<em>  
><em>Scotty doesn't know-oh' <em>

He _had _stopped. He had stopped because it felt.. wrong, and he could feel that she wasn't ready for it. He had expected some resistance, and in a way he had been looking forward to the point in time when she would finally yield to him and let him take her. When she finally acknowledged that she was his, and he owned her. But she just wouldn't.

_' I can't believe he's so trusting_  
><em>While I'm right behind you thrusting<em>  
><em>Fionna's got him- <em>Fionna...'

Marshall-lee sighed and gave up, fingers limply trailing off the strings as the last strains of sound died. Gob-fucking-dammit. He was so bloody confused.  
>He had gotten tired of fighting for a weak sense of morality that defied his own nature, tired of pacing back and forth. Eventually, he made it to the mindset of 'Fuck it' (apathetically and literally) and that's when he'd shown up at her house. Tied her down and forced his access without her permission. Tasted her creamy magic.<br>He knew that the simple fact she had allowed him to get as far as he had showed that she didn't really want to stop him, on some level. She was far too strong to actually let someone take advantage of her like that if she really, _really_ didn't want them to.

But the fact that she continued to consciously resist even when she was obviously enjoying what he did to her had skewed everything from his perspective, and made it seem far too rapey. Creepy and wrong.  
>He had started to get that feeling as he realised how tense and nervous she was, felt how her body nearly cringed away from his tongue. She was turned on, but she was frightened. And that's why he had had to leave, right then and there, or at the very least to get away from her. Because if he hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to stop. He would've become too invested, too frustrated and he would've taken her whether she wanted him to or not. And while he wanted many things from Fionna, he didn't want to hurt her.<p>

Marshall-lee burst out with an embittered growl, roughly pulling the guitar strap over his head and almost carelessly throwing his bass onto the couch. Fingers fisted in his hair, pacing back and forth.  
>The second he had gotten off of her, his mind ('mind') screamed at him to get back in there and finish what he'd started. That had been the biggest mental argument he'd inflicted upon himself in quite some time. And it didn't exactly help that the entire time, he was desperately trying and failing not to savour her flavour.<br>She hadn't been that wet. Just the beginnings of arousal. But it had been enough for him to taste, and _damn_. Smooth, creamy, a little salty but somehow sweet at the same time. Like... like salted caramel, but completely different. It had taken everything he had not to abandon the darkened corner he had concealed himself in as he panted and guiltily licked his lips. It had take everything he had not to give up on the faint sense of discomfort that kept him there and just succumb to his desires. (terrorising, stealing, manipulating, general dickishness? Fine. Sadism and Rape? No. He was evil, but he wasn't psychotic.)  
>If it had been anyone else, literally anyone else, he probably would have kept going. Sure, he would've felt bad afterwards but sexually frustrated killing machine here. On the scale between human and animal, vampires are definitely in the middle.<br>He would use people like playthings and sex toys when they meant nothing to him, because he knew they either couldn't or wouldn't stop him. But not Fionna.  
>He couldn't do that to her, because she meant more than nothing somehow. She had managed to worm her way past that realm in his list of priorities and become something he actually placed value in. And now, the way he wanted her, specifically her, was unfamiliar to him and he didn't know how to gauge it. How far he could push it without hurting himself too.<p>

Marshall-lee resumed floating and sulkily went into the kitchen to look for something to eat. No matter how minutely he examined this, he still didn't understand. So there was no point in just thinking on an endlessly loop, it wouldn't achieve anything beyond making him remember the way she had tasted for the thousandth time. 'Cause she had tasted fucking amazing. She had been so warm, the occasional bolt of heat arcing quickly through her whenever he hit a new limit. Gob, if only he could go back there now, if only he knew he had enough self control and that she would open her legs willingly...

The images of her flooded his mind and he leant back against the kitchen bench, trying his best to get through the button on his jeans but the fabric of his shirt kept getting in the way. He floated a few inches upwards and half-sat on the edge of the bench as he pulled the collared shirt off over his head, then let his shoulder blades hit the wall as he undid his jeans and pushed them down. They dropped down around his ankles as he pulled his semi-hard cock out of his jockey shorts and started stroking it with his right hand. He hadn't given himself any release since he was stuck in that bathroom, and considering all that had happened during the night, it was long overdue. Glob, that bathroom...

He wanted to catch her just after she had gotten out of the shower- or bath, whatever- but befored she towled off, when her body was still slick to the touch and the room was full of steam. She'd already be hot and flushed, a pinkish colour across her cheeks and her breasts. And this time, she would welcome him, she would want him as badly as he wanted her. She would moan and pant when he pulled her nipples into his mouth, biting on the tip and making her fall to her knees as she cried out.  
>' Ah! A-ahh.. Fuck-' Marshall suddenly hissed, unprepared for the shock of pleasure when he ran his fingers over the head, spreading precum to ease the friction. This was the hardest he'd been in a while, diamond-like in his hand as he grabbed the shaft and tugged. He arched his spine slightly and flipped his hair back when he tipped his head against the wall, resuming the fantasy.<br>Then.. then she'd lie back, leaned against the side of the bathtub with her legs spread wide open and her feet tucked under her butt so that her hips were pushed forward. She'd run her hands down her body and pant and beg for him to take her. And he'd be able to watch her drip, see her shine with her need for him.  
>'<em>Marshall-lee.. Uh-uhh.. please, Marshall..'<em>  
>And then he would lick and suck and drink, holy fuck- he would drink her dry. She would scream his name as he played her body like a fine instrument, bringing her higher as quickly or as slowly as he wanted. He would own her body, own <em>her<em>.  
><em>' Oh, Fuck me, Marshall.. aahh.. ah, M-Marshall-lee!'<em>  
>And then he'd feel the shock of heat, he'd hear her say his name and watch the torture on her face turn to ecstasy as he made her come...<br>' Mmf... Uh, Fionna-AH! Hhhaah!... hah..'

Marshall-lee bit his lip as semen dripped down his fingers and splattered onto the floor, swallowing hard then opening his mouth as he inhaled deeply. F-fuck... that was more then usual. But then usual had kind of gone out the window in the past day. He didn't normally have to jack off more than once a week (Immortals feel things more intensely then mortal species do, comparatively. It prevents them becoming bored with existence.) But he'd needed to twice in the space of less than twenty four hours.  
>He had literally never been so horny, ever. It was fucking insane. He needed to get a grip on- on whatever this was so that he'd be able to function like a normal person. So that he could see, or even just pass by Fionna without immediately wanting to have sex with her. So that he wouldn't end up murdering someone he would regret killing just to help the frustration. And so he could get on with his life (death).<br>He hoped that since he'd taken the time to hurriedly untie Fionna and redress her (as clinically and with as much detachment as he could. He basically pretended to be Gumball) She might have woken up this morning and thought it was all a dream. Hopefully.  
>And even if she hadn't, if he avoided her for a little while then acted like it hadn't happened next time he saw her, she'd forget it or write it off as him being a d-bag. Which was preferable than her trying to pursue it, because by making him talk with her about it, it would only make him want to bed her again. And again. And again.<br>What the fuck was wrong with him?

* * *

><p>'Hey Cake... I-I'm gonna go for a walk, okay?' Fionna said, shouldering her bag and walking nonchalantly over to the central tree-trunk. Cake was playing Beemo in the lounge, her little pink cat tongue sticking out in concentration.<br>' Yeah sure, baby. Be careful.' Cake told her absent-mindedly, before yelling at Beemo for killing off her character with a lava pit that 'totally wasn't there before!'  
>Fionna left hurriedly, heaving a sigh of relief when she was outside and saw the sun shining brightly. Marshall-lee never left his house when it was sunny unless he had a damn good reason. So she wouldn't have to confront him about her dream, or deal with thinking about what it had inspired her to do when she was in the shower this morning. She had a purplish semi-circle bruise on the inside of her forearm from using the flesh as an impromptu gag while she knelt in the bath and thought about what would've happened if dream-Marshall hadn't decided to bolt. Which actually, was kinda weird for a dream. They are all over the place, but having him disappear was still a fairly sharp 180 to make.<br>However, the alternative to an odd dream was that it had really happened, and that was completely insane. No way would Marshall have actually snuck into her room at night and tied her down like that. He was fairly daring, but she didn't think even he would have the balls to try with Cake barely three metres away.

But the weirdest thing was dream-Marshall had agreed with her when she had accused him of being in the treehouse with her. She would've thought he would deny it, just because her mind would want to put her back at ease.  
>Considering it now, it really did seem like the only possible way he still would've been bleeding. But if he healed so fast then why did he ask for a bandage in the first place? Why didn't he just run off and wait to heal, without having the whole awkward confrontation that meant she now knew he had been there while she was uh.. busy? Not to mention his whole speil about support structures. Puh-lease. He <em>had<em> to have heard, there was no way he could be that unintentionally terrifying.  
>But then that begged the question: How did he even hurt himself if he was just hanging hiding in the treehouse? He had become offended and hissed at her when she asked, so it was probably something shameful. Thinking of this particular trait triggered a memory for Fionna, but before she had time to fully realise it she was surprised by the sensation of a cold droplet hitting the back of her neck.  
>' Ah! What-' Fionna squinted up into the sky and realised she was walking right into a sunshower. Grumbling under her breath, she hoisted her backpack over her head and sprinted over the hills towards a small group of trees a little way away from the edge of a forest. The sunshower became heavier as she ran, pelting her with penny-sized drops of water before she managed to reach cover.<p>

When she reached the grove of trees she sat down against one of the trunks and pulled off her rabbit hat, wringing out the water into the damp grass.  
>Fionna believed she was alone, but after putting back on her hat and inspecting the area surrounding her, she realised that this was in fact not the case. She could see the tip of a brown boot poking out from behind one of the other trees and figured that it was probably someone else who was taking refuge from the rain. However, she stealthily reached into her backpack and drew her thorny sword, just in case.<br>Fionna crept forward in a crouch, slowly poking her head around the corner of a bush at the foot of the tree this other, unidentified person was resting on. As soon as she recognised him though, she dropped the sword and stumbled over to him (she tripped as she stood up).

' Flame prince!? When- wher.. what are you doing here?' She exclaimed worriedly, noticing the darkish brown amber he had faded to instead of his usual bright orange. Flame Prince looked to be almost comatose. When she touched his shoulder, trying to shake him awake, he was worryingly cold. Only about the temperature of a warm bath.  
>' Flame prince? Hey, FP c'mon!' He showed no reaction beyond a faint groan, though Fionna noticed he was steadily heating up, responding to the contact. Encouraged by this, Fionna wrapped her arms around his waist with some difficulty and pulled him up against her, reasoning that her body heat might help him dry off faster. He had gotten heavier- actually it felt like he'd gotten bigger all-round since she had last seen him. Which had admittedly been a while. He'd gone off to 'figure some stuff out' after their rather luke-warm (ironically) attempt at a relationship. Nobody blamed anybody though, and she held no animosity towards him. And right now, an old friend was a welcome distraction.<br>' Fionna, what... I'm either dreaming or stupidly lucky.' Flame Prince murmured a few moments later, just when Fionna was about to back off. The temperature of his skin was starting to become painful.  
>' Dude, what're you talking about?' She questioned, then cringed and finally let him go before he burnt her. He still looked a little less fiery than usual, but he'd be fine soon.<br>' That as soon as I'm flaming out, you happen to show up. The one person who knows exactly how to fix it. That's so unlikely.' Fionna laughed, and sat down cross legged next to him as he finally moved, leaning forward and pressing a hand to his forehead as he winced. His hair fell over one eye, still damp. Even that had gotten longer. How much time had passed since she'd last seen him?  
>' Hey, don't question the gifts of the universe.'<br>' What, like nearly passing out 'cause it rained when it was sunny? That seems more like an assassination attempt then a gift.' Fionna rolled her eyes as he shook his head and his hair suddenly flamed up brightly, turning into a mohawk that brushed his shoulders near the bottom. Wow. Looked good.

' Anyway, how ya been? I haven't seen you in forever, Pocket-rocket.' Flame Prince raised an eyebrow at her, an involuntary smile appearing on his face.  
>' You still call me that? You haven't changed at all, Blondie.' Fionna punched him in the arm then accepted when he stood up and offered her a hand. Almost immediately his eyes widened slightly and he looked her up and down.<br>' Wait, I take that back.' Fionna crossed her arms self-consciously, and Flame prince grinned at her knowingly.  
>' I mean, now you're even shorter.' At her immediate thunderstruck reaction he laughed, and copped her retribution-punch without complaint. However he was right. They'd been roughly the same height when they parted, but she barely came up to his chin now. Though those boots did have heels.<br>' Oh, everyone's a comedian.' Fionna griped and Flame prince shook his head.  
>' No, but seriously, you look really different- in a good way. Don't actually know what I expected when I haven't seen you for a year and a half.' Fionna paused for a moment at this, looking at him incredulously. A year and a half? <em>Really?<em>

'...Wow. I hadn't realised.. wow.' Fionna said, looking down at the ground and laughing at herself. She felt bad for losing track of him like that, especially after how he had left. Flame prince touched her shoulder and she looked back up at him. There was nothing blaming her in his smile, just a painful look of familiarity.  
>She hadn't realised how well you could still know someone when you hadn't seen them for such a long time. It hurt to comprehend just how much she still cared about him, and placing that on top of the stress she was experiencing thanks to her confusion with Marshall- Maybe an old (boy)friend really wasn't the best kind of distraction right now.<br>' I was the one who left Fionna. But yeah. Maybe I disappeared for longer than I should've. I missed more about this place then I thought I would... I really missed you.' Fionna held his eyes for exactly a milisecond after this revelation then looked back down at the ground, feeling something drop through her stomach and writhe around in her intestines. Jeez, what was it these days with men affecting her lower digestive system? It was an extraordinairly uncomfortable sensation, so she surreptitiously folded one arm across her belly as she minutely inspected a tiny pink flower next to Flame Prince's foot.  
>' I... Do you regret it? Do you wish you had stayed w-with.. Uhm, stayed here?' She found herself asking and almost immediately wishing she hadn't. The moment of silence that followed made the squirming gnawing sensation increase tenfold and start to devour her kidneys.<br>'... No. And yes.' Fionna waited for him to explain, feeling like the anxiety monster in her gut was attempting to climb up her trachea. Flame Prince's feet shifted slightly and Fionna risked a quick glance upwards, before determining it was safe to look at his face when she realised he wasn't watching her anymore.

' You wouldn't believe some of the stuff I've seen, Blondie. There's just so much stuff you can't find out by being told and staying in the same place to dream about it. But then when you're away and seeing it for yourself, you're dreaming of the people back home.' Flame Princes looked back at her and Fionna manged to hold his eyes this time, determined to stop being such a wimp. He was the one that chickened out this time, looking down at his nervously twisting fingers.  
>' I'm... I like that I've been places, seen and done it all before I had to make my decisions about what I'm gonna do with my life. But I kinda wished I had waited too. So that I could've maybe... ' He sighed in frustration and Fionna saw his brow furrow and an apricot-coloured flush appear on his cheeks.<br>' Fi, I don't want to start anything with you again. I've barely been back a week, and I don't want everything to just go back to the way it was. I want to move forward in the same place. I-if that makes sense.' Then he sighed and smiled at her in a somewhat bashful manner.  
>' But I'd be lying if I said I didn't wanna kiss you one more time, even though I know that's stupid because I'll burn you. Just for the sake of it. I really, really missed you.'<p>

Fionna smiled at him, thinking about what he had told her. What it would mean to him, and how great it would be to forget about all the complicated happenings she was wrestling with internally and reconcile with a boy she used to love.  
>' Just one last kiss? For old times' sake?' She questioned, and Flame prince looked at her in surprise.<br>' Yeah, but Fi.. I'll burn you. It's just-' Fionna grabbed his hands and tugged him out into the rain. While they had been talking, puffy grey clouds had slowly closed in but their tiny grove of trees was still in the middle of the patch of sunlight.  
>Fionna saw him wince as the water hit his skin, and the heaviness of the shower soon soaked her through. He cooled down very quickly as she dragged him further out onto the hills.<br>' One last kiss, and you promise that no matter what happens and where you decide to go, we'll stay friends?' Fionna asked him, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his waist. She knew that he heated up when she got closer to him, but hopefully the combination of being with her and the rain would keep him at a temperature she could manage without him burning out.

Flame Prince replied to her question by leaning down and kissing her firmly. It was like drinking burning hot tea, but Fionna didn't mind. She immediately went back for more when he broke away, letting him know that she was okay and he didn't need to worry about her. As their mouths synchronized, like old dancing partners recovering half-forgotten steps, she heard him give a tiny sigh. Then his hands moved from where they had been placed chastely on her waist and wound around her shoulders, surrounding her in a pleasant warmth despite the rain that continued to drip on to them.  
>There was a sense of nostalgia, and that painful familiarity that Fionna simultaneously hated and adored. It felt bad to know that she was essentially using him as a channel for her frustration while constantly being reminded of how incredible doing this with him used to make her feel. But that same familiarity meant there was no unease, because they both remembered that incredible feeling and how to provide it.<br>He was a distraction, and he was her friend. She trusted him. For now, that's all she needed, and she suspected that was all he needed from her too.

**Author's note: Whoo, this was a long chapter. It could've been even longer, but I felt like this was a good place to end it. Man, I wish I could see all you hard-core Fiolee shipper's faces right now. I'll bet your shooting daggers at me through your webcams xD I do ship Flameonna to a certain extent, but it's not my favourite ship and if you've read the original for this, you know who ends up banging. I'm throwing FP in here as a side character, possibly to torture Marshall just a little bit more and possibly to make Cake's presence even annoying-er. You'll just have to wait and see :P**

-WRA


	5. Chapter 5- It's Perfectly Awkward

' You're bad for me, Fionna.'  
>Fionna frowned at him, confused by the words he had given when she broke away for a quick breath of air. At some point they had ended up on the grass, Flame prince lying on his back and Fionna sitting next to his waist, leaning over the top of him. The shower had lightened to a drizzle as the sun slowly dropped in the sky, and now all that remained of it was wet grass and a faint blanket of mist obscuring the purpleorange sunset.  
>' How am I bad for you?' She asked, cocking her head to the side then flopping down on top of him, her chin in the center of his chest. Flame prince laughed at her and she felt his arms (Big, strong, warm- it was like being hugged by a bear, minus the fur. He had gotten a lot more solid compared to the scrawny teenager she had known) tighten across the middle of her back.<br>' You're just.. addictive. A bad influence. You make me want to give up on trying to find out my purpose and just make my purpose being with you. Even though I know I'd regret that.' Fionna turned her head to the side and listened to his heart (or equivalent thereof. His combustion chamber acted just like a human heart, keeping his plasma burning) to hide the small smile on her face. He was starting to heat up again, and she wanted every moment to count before she had to let go and face the complicated knot she had tied herself into by doing this.

' You're safe. I know you, which is why I don't feel guilty about a 'one last time' like this sort of thing . But it's also 'cause I know you, and cause I know it didn't work last time that I want this sort of thing not to happen again. I'm an adventurer, man. I like danger and uncertainty and discovering stuff. Safe and familiar is nice, but I can't do it for very long.' She heard him chuckle and one of his hands moved off of her back. He pulled off her bunny hat and ruffled her hair, running his fingers down through the river of blonde curls.  
>' I know. You really haven't changed a bit. I like that.' Fionna lifted her head, showcasing a pinkish flush cause by the heat radiating off him. Their time was almost up.<br>' You have. But I like that.' He smiled at her, then glanced up at the backdrop of midnight blue peeking between feathery wisps of grey cloud.  
>' Last, last kiss?' He questioned hopefully, and Fionna rolled her eyes at his expression before obligingly leaning in. He had heated up enough that it hurt now, but she didn't care. Pain and burns and bruises were just hickeys from the universe. And from him, too. She would need to cover them up before she went home.<p>

' So you better not go figure more stuff out for a while, yeah?' Fionna said, propping herself back up and looking at him pointedly.  
>' Wouldn't dream of it.' Fionna pecked him one more time - 'Last, <em>last<em> last kiss. That's it. No more. One more.'- Then again, before she stood up and put back on her bunny hat. Flame Prince watched her with a complicated mixture of melancholy, relief and amused cynicism. It hadn't meant everything, but it hadn't meant nothing either. In some ways, she was now technically his one that got away. Through mutual exclusion. Whether this had been the right course of action- letting her go and this afternoon- only time would tell.  
>' See ya 'round, Pocket-rocket.' Fionna said jovially, shouldering her backpack and flitting her fingers at him affectionately. Flame prince returned the smile a beat too late.<br>' ...Yeah. see ya.'

As she walked away, Fionna heard a muffled 'Whoof!' behind her and looked back to see Flame Prince streaking up into the sky, a speeding neon blur of light. A living firework. No wonder he used to mesmerize her.  
>Did he still?<br>That was the dilemma she was trying to neutralize now, before getting back into the Marshall stuff that only made this one more complicated. She had never dreamed about Flame Prince. And she had to admit, when he had given her the first hickey on her neck (at this thought, Fionna swung her bag around to the front and began digging for her turtleneck sweater) the sensation immediately reminded her of the vampire. From that point on, he had been sitting in the back of her head insisting that she stop with this nostalgic nonsense and pay attention to him instead.  
>Her current train of thought was even more evidence that she no longer wanted Flame Prince the way she used to. If she was still in love with him, he would've been the only thing on her mind. But instead it was all Marshall, all the time. Sigh.<p>

She obviously had a thing for him, to some degree, which was really stupid. On the off chance that he reciprocated that physically (That gobdamned 'pillow fight' yesterday. Though oddly, he had never kissed her on the lips) there was no way a guy like him would reciprocate emotionally. Fionna considered this gloomily as she pulled the sweater over her head and adjusted the turtleneck so it came all the way up to the bottom of her chin.  
>Marshall-lee was a thousand years old, but he hadn't settled down (or grown up)yet? That showed he wasn't the kind of man who ever would. He might be content to fool around for a few months, but then he'd get bored and she'd be left with nothing but regret and longing.<br>But even so... The way he had kissed her, bit her... She _wanted_ that. Specifically. It was completely different to Flame Prince. So much more uncertain and exciting. She knew exactly how Flame prince was bad for her, but Marshall was a different kind of trouble (was it weird that she was actively looking for that? A issue to conquer and understand, an adventure?)  
>It wouldn't hurt to just try, right?<br>But how exactly do you attract a vampire?

' I'm home, Cake!' Fionna called, adjusting the turtle neck jumper one last time as she walked in through the front door. She giggled when she felt Cake's furry limb snaking around her waist and tugging her up through the treehouse.  
>' Whoo, baby girl. You're getting heavy. I don't know if you should give you this pasta I just finished cooking.' Cake teased her playfully, plopping the adventuress down into the booth. She was standing at the stove in front of a large pot of spaghetti. The smell of tomatos and basil drifted over to Fionna, and she suddenly realised she was ravenous.<br>' Naw, you can't deny me spaghetti.' Cake smiled at her affectionately over her shoulder, before delivering three bowls of food to the table.  
>' Of course not, darling. Beemo, come'n get it!' Cake yelled over her shoulder before sliding into the booth next to Fionna. Beemo skittered into the room a few seconds later, and climbed up the rungs of a stool so that she was perched in front of her dinner. Everybody got stuck in, and for a few minutes there was no sound beyond muffled chewing and slurping noises.<p>

' So where did you go today, baby? Find any cool stuff or were you just kickin' it?' Cake asked, lapping up the last of her sauce in a very unladylike manner. Fionna shrugged noncommittally, stuffing a rather large wad of pasta in her mouth just before she answered. Cake rolled her eyes at the indecipherable words.  
>' Uhuh. Y'know, you could've just said you didn't wanna tell me.' Panicking that she was going to get caught, Fionna swallowed painfully.<br>' No, it's just I didn't do anything interesting. Just kickin' it, like you said. Anyway, w-what about you?' She replied, hitting herself in the chest to help sink the gluey lump that was resisting sliding down into her stomach.  
>' I got up to level 63 on <em>Bomb The Breadtower<em>. But Beemo kept giggling and messing up my game!' Beemo threw Cake a reproachful look, pasta sauce smeared all over her screen.  
>' That was your fault, not mine.' Beemo replied, hopping down off the stool and wandering over to the bathroom. Cake stuck her tongue out at Beemo's back then looked back at Fionna.<p>

' So... who were you making out with, hmm?' Cake asked casually, leaning on the table top. Fionna choked in surprise and blushed, taking a drink from a glass of water to help her along.  
>'... What?' She replied, when she had finally finished coughing. Cake gestured to the sweater, smirking knowingly.<br>' Honey, don't think I don't know a cover up when I see one. Who's the lucky guy?' Fionna stared at her in disbelief, then looked down at her lap shamefully.  
>' He's not a lucky guy, it was just a kind of welcome back. I'm not gonna see him again. Well, uh, not like <em>that<em> at least.' Cake tutted at her.  
>' Fionna, handing out kisses like candy is a bad policy, and I'm gonna tell you why-' Cake proclaimed, tenting her claws together in a suddenly business like manner. Fionna didn't like where this conversation abruptly seemed to be headed.<br>' You're sixteen now, you're old enough to know and if you're sneaking away from me to go make out with men then you definitely need to know. I know you think I hate the idea of you with boys, but that's not true. I just wish my baby sister would stay my baby sister for a little longer, y'know?' Fionna's eyebrows creased together and she looked at Cake with a total lack of comprehension.  
>' I wasn't- Where are you going with this?' She asked nervously. Cake sighed, and hopped out of the booth. Then she turned to face Fionna and stretched one arm up into the treehouse to an unknown location.<br>' You're growing up darling, and as much as I wish you weren't, it's my responsibility as your kick-ass sibling to prepare you for the intimate workings of a relationship.' Fionna watched as Cake's arm retracted holding an aged and yellowing book entitled: _It's Perfectly Normal._ The sub heading was too small for her to make out. Cake laid the book on the table in front of her.  
>' Tier fifteen, baby. It's time I tell you all about it and how to do it safely. I want you to read that, right here, right now. Then come and talk to me about any questions you have, okay sweetheart?' Cake said, the first hint of anxiety showing in the way her whiskers quivered. Fionna's mouth worked silently for a few moments, before she nodded and Cake left the room, her tail flicking back and forth.<p>

Fionna looked down at the book laying on the table in front of her, eyeing the people on it's cover apprehensively. She had been badgering Cake to explain tier fifteen to her for years, ever since she had mentioned it that one time she went to the movies with Mar- M.. The Vampire King (Why was she having such trouble thinking his name? It made no sense!). But now that Cake was actually willing to tell her about it, the timing just seemed hideously convenient. Just when she was trying to figure out how to get Fang-face to like her like _that_, just when she was dealing with all this complicated schizz, Cake was gonna drop in and either clear it all up or make it all a lot worse.  
>And the only way to find out which one it was gonna be was to read the book.<p>

Fionna gulped nervously and reached for it, fingers trembling as she opened the cover.

* * *

><p>'Uhm.. C-cake?' The calico cat jerked in her seat and looked over to the door. Fionna was standing silhouetted in the entrance, the bright light coming from the kitchen in contrast with the dim candles in the living room. Cake wasn't tall enough to change them without her stretchy powers, and she had been too preoccupied with her thoughts for the past half hour to be bothered anyways.<br>' Yes, Honey-bunch? Did you finish it?' Cake said, an odd note of sympathy to her tone. What did she have to be sympathetic for, this wasn't a sad occasion. It's not like something had died.  
>Well, actually something <em>had<em> died. Fionna's innocence.

' Yeah, I finished it.' Fionna said, coming and primly perching on the edge of the couch, the book held limply on her lap. Cake looked at her with concern. The adventuress's face was impossible to read.  
>' So... is there, um... Do you have anything you want to ask me, sweetie?' Cake questioned. Fionna looked at the book and her mouth twisted to the side thoughtfully.<br>'... Not really. I'm just... gonna go to bed now.' Cake hesitated, then nodded. It was a lot for her to take in, considering all she'd ever done up to this point was kiss a boy. It would take her a while to process everything she had just learned.  
>' Okay, darling. We'll talk about it some other time.' Cake said, forcing as much brightness into her voice as possible. Dear lord, this was so awkward but it had to be done, gobdammit! She wouldn't have her babygirl getting herself into things she didn't understand, especially when something like a human-? hybrid child was a potential consequence.<br>Fionna nodded and scurried away from the cat like a mouse, disappearing into the depths of the tree and up to her bed.

So.  
><em>So.<em>  
>That actually explained quite a lot.<br>It explained why she got this weird shivery feeling when she thought about Marshall touching her, and how that shivery feeling could be manipulated to create the best thing ever (in that context). It explained what had been going on in Marshall's jeans after he had pinned her yesterday. And that explanation was entirely shocking.  
>Her body was telling her <em>it wanted to have his babies.<em> And apparently, his body wanted the same thing. Why him in particular though, it didn't explain.  
>Jeez, that had not been what she had expected from finding out what tier fifteen was. She had thought it would be something purely romantic, like kissing was but no. It was how everything made children.<br>Though, that really made quite a lot of sense. If something felt good to people, then obviously they'd want to do it as much as possible, regardless of the consequences. And when the consequence was the continuation of your species, it was probably pretty important that you enjoyed doing it.  
>The book had also pointed out that sex was an important part of a relationship, and not just about kids though. It was what made the difference between friendship and lover. The intimacy of it. Marshall had clearly overstepped that boundary yesterday in real life, and in her head last night.<br>Fionna bit her lip guiltily as she remembered the dream, taking off her clothing and picking up her red pajamas from the floor. As pulled them on, she noticed a tear at the bottom of the row of buttons. A tear that crudely ripped the crotch apart.  
>Just like in her... dream?<br>Oh. My. _Glob._

**Author's note: HELLLOOOOO THERE! Finally, an update! I've kept you guys waiting on this chapter for almost a month, and it's been done for 'bout a week and a half! I am really sorry, I hadn't realised that I hadn't posted it D: To make up for that, and because I do realise this chapter is quite short, I'll post the next one immediately and it's a pretty decent chunk of lemon, trust me on that ;D But probably not in the way you guys are hoping. This will be an epic m-rated saga, so please for the love of the lord, hold on to your butts. The ride is just getting started.  
>I just realised I didn't reply to guest reviewers on the last chapter, so here we are instead:<br>Some username: Well, I glad you think so :D  
>Guest: I keep it sizzling like the surface of the celestial sun, baby ;D sorry for the late updates though!<br>Booky: You know it.  
><strong>

** -WRA**


	6. Chapter 6- Play With Me

'Yo Marshall, what's up with you man? When you told me you wanted to hang tonight, I didn't expect to literally wanna hang myself from just being in your presence.' Femme grouched, throwing a reproachful look at the surly vampire. Marshall-lee rolled his eyes at the dryness of her humour.  
>' Nothing's up with me. There ain't shit happening right now, but that's not my fault.' Femme flicked her brown hair impetuously, her grey suede high-heeled boots clicking on the floor of Marshall's cave as they exited onto the moonlight grasslands.<br>' I suggest we make something happen then.' Femme said, grinning mischievously as the silvery light glinted off of her unusually jagged teeth. Marshall laughed quietly to himself, heaving a mental sigh of relief as he morphed into his demon bat form and flew up into the thick dark sky.

As far as distractions went, Femme was the creme de la creme. His former band mate was hard to ignore, in more ways than one. He had never found her highly attractive (a solid six and a half in his mind), but she wasn't the type for a hit and quit like he would've wanted when they met. When it came to being unobtainable, Femme was even worse than a certain adventuress he did not care to consider right now. The only man he'd ever seen her show even a modicum of interest in was Gumball. And to be entirely honest, he never really found out exactly what happened between the two of them.  
>Femme was a lot like him, confident and mischevious. She knew how to have a laugh. But he knew she didn't really understand how deep his emotions ran, and he didn't understand why hers didn't run deep at all.<p>

' Okay Fem-bot, what d'ya reckon? Got any daring escapades we can attempt?' Femme (a shapeshifter) blinked at him disapprovingly, having turned herself into a large owl with jewels encrusted around its eyes and electric blue feathers offset with orange tips.  
>' You are such a nerd, Marshall. Who even says 'escapades', you dork.'<br>' I take offence to that, and I do. Besides, I was the one who suggested this, so it's your turn to entertain me.' Femme threw him another look with her owl eyes, the enormous size of the organs enhancing every emotion she displayed.  
>' Oh, so I'm just free entertainment, am I Marshall? Way to make a girl feel wanted.' Marshall-lee scoffed, though not unkindly.<br>' Pfft. You've never wanted me to want you, Fem-bot.'  
>' I've never needed you to need me.'<br>' I wouldn't love you to love me'  
>' I wouldn't beg you to beg me!' They both sang in unison, then abruptly stopped in midair and began to plummet as they collapsed into laughter. Both of them shapeshifted back into their regular forms and stumbled onto the grasslands, throwing their arms over each other's shoulders, rendered incoherent with hysterics.<p>

Eventually they stopped on the edge of a ruined downtown street. The buildings were crumbling and overtaken by vines, and there were rusting and twisted street signs whistling and creaking eerily in the breeze. Marshall-lee perched himself on top of a broken street light as he finished laughing and Femme watched him from the ground, arms folded.  
>' Seriously though Mar-mar. We haven't seen each other in ages, man. What's with the sudden call up?' She asked, raising one perfectly arched brow expectantly. Marshall-lee studied her for a moment, trying to decide how truthful he should be.<br>' Isn't having not seen you in ages a good enough reason? We're friends, Femme.' She rolled her eyes at him and put a hand on her hip.  
>' Get down here, you may be king of the vampires but you ain't allowed to act like it around me.' She demanded, stabbing towards the ground with her free hand.' And also, that's bullshit what you just said. Yeah, we're friends. And that means I know you pretty well. So I know you don't think like that. Something's bugging you.' Marshall twisted his mouth in distaste, annoyed at how completely correct she was. He begrudgingly floated off of the street lamp and came down till he was roughly the same height as her.<br>' Okay yeah. Maybe there is something bugging me. And maybe I wanted to hang out with you 'cause I figured you could help me take my mind off it?' He suggested condescendingly, running his fingers through his hair. Femme suddenly grinned at him, before shapeshifting back into the electric blue owl.  
>' Well why didn't ya say so, VK? Race you to The Devil's Waterhole!' With that she shot up into the sky and deeper into the urban wasteland and Marshall, never one to back down from a challenge, quickly followed.<p>

The Devil's Waterhole was the seediest, most run-down bar that had probably ever existed in the history of the world. There was a constantly layer of grime over everything and everyone in that place, and the feeling of uncleanliness affected you the second you stepped inside the rusted door that was hanging off it's hinges. Because the owner (who no-one had actually ever met) had clearly ran out of fucks to give sometime before he opened the enterprise, the place had a way of melting your inhibition. When something is already that messed up, it gave you the sense that no matter what you did, you couldn't make it worse. So of course, people like Femme and Marshall never stopped trying.  
>The tricksters, the liars, the junkies, the demons and evil creatures- For them, visting The Devil's Waterhole was something of a right of passage. When you were a regular there, everyone knew you were not to be double-crossed.<br>Not to mention it was pretty much the only place that still traded real alcohol.

' Huh. I haven't been here in ages. Was it always this crowded?' Marshall yelled to Femme, even though they were standing right next to each other. The bar was so full of patrons that some of them had spilled out onto the street, creepily silhouetted in the red strobe lights that were flashing over the dance floor. The music in this establishment was a little harder than the stuff Marshall and his bandmates had usually played, but not so much so it was unpleasant. Sometimes a little extremism was good. It suited the pub perfectly.  
>' Nah, I don't think so. Apparently whoever the random is that owns the place decided to up his cred and make it more like a nightclub. Kinda a shame, but hey, makes it easier to make things interesting.' Marshall raised an eyebrow at Femme.<br>' Oh yeah? So you do have something planned. I knew you'd deliver.' Femme stuck her tongue out at Marshall, and he was surprised to note that she was keeping it forked, similar to his own. That and she had also had it pierced, which was new.  
>' I don't deliver anything for you, you just get to come along for the ride. Let's make a bet, hah?' Marshall waved at the bartender, who was a rather short, stout little demon with blonde curly whiskers, a bald head and deep crimson skin.<br>' I'm listening. Loser pays tab?' Marshall suggested, taking a beer and Femme nodded.  
>' Of course. First one to pick up somebody to take home wins, yeah? Oh, and anything below a seven doesn't count, 'cause both of us can pull that shit with ease.'<br>' Well, I know I can.' Marshall bared his fangs at Femme in a smirk when she hit him.  
>' Yeah, I'm up for that. But how do we know who's won? If we both just turn up at the bar with somebody on our arm, then we won't know who was first.' Marshall said pensively, taking a sip of his beer. Femme shrugged, thinking for a moment.<br>' Martini, on the rocks. And don't be afraid to shake it up, I like it dirty.' Femme said to the bartender, winking. He accepted this information stoically, and started making her drink.  
>' Okay, if we both score at about the same time, whoever scored better wins. So you better try your luck on a fuckin' eleven, mate. Or I'll be highly offended.'<br>' Same to you, Mosquito-bites.' Marshall-lee grinned at her cheekily before slipping away into the crowd, beer bottle in hand.

He wasn't dressed particularly nicely, just a zip up hoodie, burgundy collared button up and black jeans and high tops, but then he wasn't out of place either. So he surreptitiously ditched the hoodie over the back of a chair and popped one more button on his shirt, letting a V of skin and his bite marks show in the flashing lights. For some reason, as soon as demon girls figured he was a vampire, they instantly liked him about ten times more. Maybe it was a weird form of odaxelagnia and they figured since he was a vamp he'd be into that, or maybe they figured since blood-suckers are known for living rather a long time he'd know what he was doing. Which he did, but it was still no guarantee of a good time. Some guys are just perpetually selfish children, no matter how old they are.  
>Marshall ran his fingers through his hair, trying to sweep it out of the way and eyed the tables placed along the wall, seeing if there were any single women that were worth his time. Most of them only came with two seats, clearly set up for couples. The first few contained two men, a guy and a girl, a lone guy, two girls, then a lone girl. But the last girl was far below the standard he'd have to go for in order to score any real points. About a seven point eight. Meh.<br>Seeing as Femme was a shapeshifter, it was highly possibly that she would manipulate the odds in her favour. He'd seen all of her pulling morphs, and while he would do every single one of them, he also knew she couldn't keep them up for longer than twelve hours, less if she was tired or distracted. Shame for the guy who wakes up next to that after what he thought he brought home.

Suddenly Marshall saw a flick of blonde hair in the crowd, gleaming strawberry in the red lighting. For some unknown reason, he started pushing his way through towards that tantalising glimpse. He usually went for brunettes, but for some reason he needed to find out who owned those oh-so-familiar golden locks. Internally, he told himself that there was no guarantee that the owner of that hair was good looking or even female, but that didn't even make him hesitate.  
>He squeezed between the backs of two people and found himself looking at the business end of a centaur, his long blonde tail swishing between the crowd like a hair product ad. Marshall sighed, annoyed at himself. He only knew one blonde girl, and he wasn't supposed to be thinking about her. he was supposed to be here to forget about her, so that the next time he saw her he would think of her with his head and not his pants. But if he chased after any connection to her, that wouldn't help his case at all. Fucking metrosexual centaur. Stop shampooing your gobdamned tail.<p>

He turned around and huffed slightly in surprise when a short, black-haired demon girl bumped into his chest.  
>' Hey, watch it.' He muttered curtly, then stopped short when she looked up at him. She had very pale lilac skin, and she was blushing deep blue which looked odd in the red lighting. But the thing that caught him was that her eyes, instead of being the customary red for demons, were bright, bright blue. Aqua blue.<br>Argh. He was instantly attracted to those shining blue eyes. Oh fuck, no.  
>' You watch it.' She replied in an unconvincing tough voice, and Marshall froze for a second, taking the time to tear himself away from her eyes and assess her. She was wearing a tight purple bandage dress, and he could see a short tail poking out beneath the also short hem. There were two dark purple horns curling on the side of her head, like a ram's.<br>Hm. Definite nine.  
>It was just her eyes. Everything else couldn't be more different. What's the worst that could happen?<br>'... Sorry about that, I didn't mean to be so blunt. I'm just having a bit of a rough day.' Marshall-lee smiled at her, turning on the charm. The demon girl blushed harder, but otherwise seemed unperturbed.  
>' Yeah well, you're probably not the only one, buddy.' She tried to push past him and Marshall-lee caught her elbow, unwilling to let those sparkling- No, the opportunity go.<br>' No wait, please. I really am sorry. Let me get you a drink, make it up to you.' He said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. She studied him for a moment, and Marshall could tell that she found him attractive. When you dedicate a fair amount of your time to making yourself difficult to read, it becomes incredibly easy to read others.  
>That or he knew that whenever he encountered a straight woman, there was like, a seventy percent chance she would bang him if given permission to.<br>' Go on, you know you want to sweetheart.' He said, raising an eyebrow and smiling at her subtly showing his fangs. He saw her eyes lock onto his bitemarks. Now all he had to do was wait a few moments and...  
>' Fine, whatever.' She sighed, her nonchalance clearly fake.<br>Strike!

' So tell me, how come your eyes are blue?' Marshall asked her, smirking at her as he gestured for the bartender to refill her cocktail. She giggled, shyly playing with a strand of her hair.  
>' My mom got knocked up by a water nymph, and she had me. So I guess I'm a water demon, or something crazy like that.' She said, laughing again. Marshall smiled with her, but he was already bored.<br>All this giggly girly stuff, he hadn't had to tolerate it in such a long time. There was a limit to how much you would stand for sex, and since he hadn't been particularly wanting recently he hadn't bothered. The women he preferred were the rough and ready type, who spoke their mind and didn't worry about how people perceived them. The kind who did what they wanted, but weren't as jaded as him so that they still cared, still had a cause. The passionate, stubborn ones, innocent but curious, and never willing let anyone get the best of them.  
>No, don't think about her. Don't.<br>' I was only asking because they're such a sexy colour. Everyone says that red is attractive but y'know, I'm so used to it, I like a little change.' He murmured, forcing her to lean in to be able to hear him properly. Marshall tentatively kissed her a moment later, then deepened it when she didn't resist. She gasped slightly when he put his hands on her waist and pulled her towards him, then slid them down her hips onto her ass. Marshall made a slow circle around her tongue with his own and she moaned lightly in response, pressing herself up against him and reaching up to grab his neck. Then he pulled back slightly and bit her lower lip, subtly rolling his eyes when he clenched his hand on her butt and she jerked in response. Typical demon girl.  
>' Come.' He whispered in her ear, keeping a hand on her waist as he guided her through the crowd and to the back of the pub. He knew from playing here before that this place used to be an inn, and that if you knew how to ask the bouncers would let you upstairs into the old rooms. They were still fully furnished, but not in the kind of way where you could actually stay there for any length of time. If all you wanted was privacy and a bed, then it was perfect, but beyond that- not so much.<br>Marshall told one of the bouncers to go have some shots courtesy of the Vampire King, and led the demon girl up into the first room, which was vacant.

As soon as he had her inside and the door closed, he went back to kissing her, trying to get himself invested in what was about to happen. She didn't stop him as he unzipped her dress and peeled it off, then threw her down on the bed. Underneath she was wearing a matching pale green lace bra and thong, and they both seemed rather too small for her, straining to hold in every curve.  
>' Oh, baby...' She moaned breathily, running her hands down her body, twisting and writhing as he watched her. But... Nothing.<br>Instead of being turned on, Marshall just felt a vague sense of boredom and guilt, like he shouldn't be here and he didn't really want to be anyways. And that made him so frustrated, so angry because even though he had a perfectly serviceable one night stand in front of him, _still _the only girl he could think about was gob. Fucking. Damn... Fionna.  
>She was all he wanted, even now when he had given himself options. And that was confusing and unknown and weird and just...<br>It was scary.

Marshall climbed on to the bed and began kissing the demon girl again, his stubborn resistance wavering in his uncertainty for a split second, but that was all it took. Images of Fionna in that bathtub flashed across the back of his eyelids like those joke cameras children have, where you click the shutter and a new picture appears on a pre-developed reel. Uh, he wanted her so badly...  
>The girl had already gotten his shirt off, and pretty soon he felt her hands on his jeans, looking for the button. Marshall grabbed her hand and pushed her away, back down onto the bed. He straddled her imposingly, undoing it himself as she watched him.<br>It was so damned infuriating. Why would it matter who it was with as long as they were hot and willing when he was in this state, when he wanted sex this badly? Even as he studied the girl in front of him, who was practically begging for him to take her, the only thing he could think of was that _she _wasn't _her_.  
>He needed the release so badly, but when he looked at her, stared at the curve of her hips and held her full breasts, he felt close to complete apathy. Everything just shut down. But then he saw her eyes, that gorgeous colour she had stolen, and suddenly...<br>' You better like it rough.' He muttered in a low voice, before he pulled off her thong then picked up her legs and placed them over his shoulders. She screamed and grabbed the headboard behind her when he thrust into her viciously, not caring enough to prepare her with anymore than those few curt words. Apparently she did like it rough though, as the slight whimpers of pain soon changed to mewls of pleasure when Marshall upped his pace, hitting her harder that he usually need to. Physically he still felt numb, and even though he could feel her clenching around him it wasn't doing anything for him. And that only angered him more.  
>He poured all of that fury and confusion into his movements, twisting his hips sharply and making her scream loudly as her shoulder blades thumped against the headboard.<br>' Ah! Oh, Yeah.. Please, just a little... Aauuhhh..' She groaned, and Marshall could feel her body beginning to tighten, draw everything in. He almost wanted to back off, let her feel how he did knowing that he wasn't getting what he wanted by doing this. He had hoped that actually having sex with someone would calm him down but when he was just barely aroused and heading nowhere it just wound him up even further. If the tension became any greater he'd become dangerous to be around.  
>And then she came, those beautiful blue eyes fluttering closed as she moaned. Her entire body shook and her hips jerked against him reflexively as she rode it out, and Marshall watched her with a trace of jealousy. Lucky bitch. She was actually enjoying herself.<p>

' Ah-ahhh.' She murmured when Marshall pulled himself out and wrapped his arms around her, turning her over. Marshall curled himself over the top of her and held her against him, letting her feel that he was still hard on the back of her thigh. He pressed his face into the side of her neck and bit her, with enough force to draw blood. He couldn't drink from her though, as hers was blue so she wasn't in any danger of that. She yelped then whimpered quietly as he drew his tongue over the wound then along the shell of her ear.  
>'Round two...' He whispered bluntly, hoping to convey that she had no option in this and that he was getting a second go. She mewled brokenly as he pumped into her again, the new position creating a completely different feel. His fingertips slid across the sweat sheen on her skin as he tried to grip her waist, holding her in place so that he could smooth out the jarring pulse. He could feel his own stamina beginning to get up and go, but even as he began to pant he could finally feel the onset of his own climax.<br>He had thought that maybe having sex with someone would've helped him figure out whether he was just insanely horny and Fionna was hot or whether it really was something to do with her. And he was right, it had helped him figure it out.  
>It just wasn't the answer he had hoped for.<p>

He didn't know how many more times the demon girl screamed while he fucked her, how many more times he sent her into a void of blinding hot pleasure. But she barely even whimpered when his breath hitched and he shuddered and bit his lip, cumming inside her after what seemed like hours. All of that work and honestly, the end result wasn't worth it.  
>When he opened his eyes a few moments later, he saw her stiffly remove her fingertips from the top of the headboard and she collapsed on her front onto the bed, the only sign of life being the shallow expansion of her ribs as she breathed and the heat radiating off of her skin.<br>Marshall wiped off his dick with the sheet and got off of the bed, wincing at the ache in his thighs when he stood up and zipped up his jeans. He hadn't screwed anyone in a while, but really this was a pretty lackluster return after the dry spell. If he'd done this last week he probably would've felt differently as he actually would've had fun but now it was... Barely even noteworthy.  
>He studied the demon girl as he picked up his shirt and put it back on. He probably shouldn't leave her here like this. Even though it had been some time, he evidently hadn't lost his touch, and she was so thoroughly worn out it didn't look like she even had the strength to get up.<br>But at the same time, he was a little tired himself and frankly, kinda disappointed. He didn't want to get involved with her, She had fulfilled her purpose. So he just shifted her slightly and threw the sheets over the top of her, then picked up her clothes and put them on the bed next to her in a pile. She mumbled something and promptly fell asleep, a strand of her dark hair twitching every time she breathed out.  
>If he was a decent guy he would've stayed with her till she was conscious just to make sure nothing bad happened, but he wasn't going to take this farther than it needed to go. He took one last look at her, wishing he could've had one more glimpse of her pretty blue eyes. Then he left, running his fingers through his hair as he went back down into the bar to find Femme.<p>

**Author's note: So, new character eh? Femme. She's featured in one of my other fics on deviantart, which I will not link because it was average at best**, **But I actually really like her character. She's such a punkass no nonsense little bitch, it's great fun to write her xD  
>If you're wondering where she exists in the universe, she's not OC, but a genderbend of the character Guy, who was Marceline's bandmate in the comic books.<strong>  
><strong>She's not a one-stop shop character either, as our anonymous demon girl is, and she's going to become pretty important as the series continues, so stay tuned!<strong>

-**WRA**


	7. Chapter 7- I Sing When I'm Shitfaced

Femme sighed and played with the edge of her wine glass, running her fingers around the edge. She had managed to pull a hulking grey Adonis of a stone monster with her current form, but he was literally as dumb as rocks. Hardly stimulating conversation, no matter how perfectly chiseled his granite face was. So she had ditched him and any hope of winning, and was now sitting alone at the bar in her blue jeans and white singlet with blonde waves of hair and lips so flushed and plump they resembled two pin cushions, freshly pricked.

She looked up from her drink to see Marshall-lee silently ghosting onto the stool next to her, sitting down and beckoning for the bartender.  
>' Look who came crawling back. Did you seriously fail to bust a jailbird?' Femme asked him, half teasingly but with a sincere note of incredulousness. She had been fully prepared to pay the tab that night, because even though she wasn't bad with plays, she had never managed to beat him before. It had been a calculated choice of bet, in order to make the vamp feel better. However, judging by his brooding demeanor, that hadn't work.<br>' I took her to court already. Twice.' Marshall deadpanned, taking the bottle of beer from the bartender then tipping the neck towards Femme and shrugging at her shocked expression. Femme blinked at him as she digested this information and Marshall popped the cap off the beer on the sharp edge of the bar.  
>' I... Jeez, VK. We've only been here for an hour and half and you've already gone for a ride?' Marshall made her wait for his reply as he took a drink.<br>' Yep.' He said between gulps, reveling in the bitsy, hoppy flavour of the dark brew.  
>' Uh.. But I thought we were just trying to pick up, not deliver.' Femme was surprised at the expression in Marshall's eyes when they quickly flashed to hers then away, and waited with a growing amount of interest for him to counter her statement.<br>' Hm. Yeah, I know but.. You don't turn down an opportunity, I guess.' He said, finally taking the already half-empty bottle away from his lips and placing it on the bar, then beginning to play with the bottle cap as he refused to met Femme's suddenly analytical gaze.  
>' You just got laid, and knowing you she was probably pretty damn fine, and you're sulking.'<br>' No, I'm not.'  
>' Marshall-lee.'<br>' Femme.'  
>Femme growled and slapped her hand over Marshall's, stopping his annoyingly twitchy fingers from perpetually spinning the bottle cap around and around. Marshall seemed mildly surprised by this, but still wouldn't look at her.<br>' Marshall-lee Riomorts Abadeer, stop being such a fucking smart-ass sneak and tell me why you wanna be a whiny-ass bitch.' At this Marshall jerked his hand out from underneath hers and picked up his beer again, giving her a reproachful look over the top of the green glass.  
>' I have whined about exactly nothing tonight, so where the hell that came from I don't even know.' Femme rolled her eyes at him, leaning on the bar and twisting her torso so she was facing him.<br>' I said wanna be, not you are. I ask what's bugging you, you tell me to drop it, I try to fix it and you only get even deeper inside your head. And I know that in your head is a crap place to be, so out with it. Now, before I get even pissier.'  
>Marshall slowly put the beer back on the bar, tapping the rim at the bottom on the glass countertop a couple of times. Femme stayed stubbornly silent, waiting impatiently.<br>' I..' Marshall sighed and stopped, his head dropping as he lapsed into a silence even thicker than the one preceding it.

' I ain't kidding around here, VK. Talk, or I'll make you.' Marshall eyed her apprehensively. That wasn't an empty threat. She had once broken a guitar over his head for magically (semi permanently) tattooing his name on her lower back when she was passed out drunk, back in the decidedly more hectic and carefree days when they were 'touring' (More or less a roadtrip with instruments in the back instead of pool toys.)  
>' Whoa there, Fembot. I've already been scratched up and bruised by one girl tonight, I don't need it from you too.' Femme sneered at him childishly, wrinkling her noise and nasally mimicking some of his words.<br>' _Scratched up by one girl tonight_. Cut it out.'  
>' I just... Right now I'm really- look, there's a lot of weird shit going on at the moment, and I don't know why or what or how so... So.' Marshall-lee ended rather anticlimactically, then running his fingers through his hair till his head was cradled in his elbows and banging it against the counter once.<br>' I'm confused. I don't understand the most basic stuff anymore, it just doesn't make sense. _Nothing_ makes sense.' He mumbled, and Femme was glad that she had leaned in close enough to hear him over the thumping bass that was noisily trying to interfere with the conversation.  
>' There's that whiny bitch I knew you wanted to be. C'mon, we're getting out of here.' Femme said, shifting off of her stool and grabbing Marshall's arm. She tugged him out of the bar, leaving behind a roll of lipstick-stained notes in her empty wine glass.<p>

' You want some bourbon?' Femme offered, showing Marshall a curvy bottle of caramel liquid as they trailed through the ruins of the metropolis. Marshall skirted a large fallen chunk of concrete and raised an eyebrow at his companion.  
>' When did you get that?'<br>' Nicked it off some sad hobo at the end of the bar when we were walking out.' Marshall accepted this without comment. It was exactly the kind thing Femme would do, steal a lonely depressed man's alcohol without a second thought. She didn't consider others unless they meant something to her. He used to do similar things, but he always had real malicious intent instead of simple apathy. Femme didn't think or care enough to actually want to hurt people, she did it without trying. He used to want that, so there was no guilt. But now he thought differently.  
>' Yeah, I'll have some.' Femme passed it over and Marshall had a couple mouthfuls, appreciatively growling at the burning sensation spreading down his throat when he swallowed.<br>' Hm. Good shit.'  
>' Yup, now give it back.' Femme took the bottle off him and then plonked herself down on what had once been a large flat flower bed in the center of a city square. Half of the area was inaccessible now, as the skyscraper that had once been one of the sides had fallen, the steel girders failing and dumping tons of plaster and glass all over one side of the pebbled sidewalk. Marshall sat down on a conveniently shaped piece of rubble and waited for her inevitable question.<br>' So what doesn't make sense?' Marshall silently gestured for the bottle again and Femme handed it over without protest, watching him expectantly as he took another long drink then wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt, sighing. He had left his hoodie in the bar.  
>' I don't.'<br>' Of course you don't. Can you be more vague, VK?'  
>' I'm serious, Femme. I've never been like this before, and it's creepin' me out.'<br>' You still haven't told me what 'this' is.' Femme countered dryly, reaching for the bourbon. Marshall took another quick slug before he passed it back, welcoming the calming, blurring cloud he could feel slowly descending. It wouldn't last long, as demons are resistant to alcohol and vampires almost indifferent, but it would be nice not to think or over-analyse for at least a little while. He'd been doing too much of it recently, and now he kinda understood why Gumbutt was such a hardass.

' There's... Something happened, a couple days ago, and ever since then I've just been so-' He trailed off and covered his face with his hands, rubbing his eyes with balls of his palms. It was so hard to explain, because he felt if he talked too much about what he was feeling, then the suspicions he was slowly gaining would be proved true, and he didn't want that. More correctly, he was afraid of that.  
>' Did you kill someone? Found out you've accidentally fathered a child? Help me out here.'<br>' Nah, none of that stuff. It's not that- well, it's not that bad, but at the same time it's so much worse.' Femme suddenly made a little noise of comprehension, and Marshall-lee glanced towards her to see her nodding sagely, a grin cracking across her features.  
>' Ah, I know. Lady troubles. Someone finally managed to make it out of your pants and into you heart, heh?' Marshall stared at her for a couple seconds, with an expression somewhere between dismay and disappointment.<br>' You phr- Ph- Uhm, the way you said that was so ridiculous I want to say no-'  
>' But you can't.'<br>' ...Not really.' Femme passed him back the bottle and sat back, tapping the back of her boots on the concrete divider she was sitting atop of.  
>' So what's wrong with that then? Did you fuck her and now she wants nothing to do with you?'<br>' Nah, I haven't even-' Femme cut him off by suddenly jerking upright, a hand going to her mouth.  
>' No way, no no no. Don't tell me you've fallen for someone without even doing her first, that's impossible. No way Marshall-lee, son of the Devil, Leader of the Rock Gods and King of the Vampires is stuck with unrequited, innocent puppy-love.' Marshall, who had been drinking from the bottle again, almost choked at the end of her sentence and hit himself in the chest once, throwing Femme an annoyed look as he winced when the burning painfully spread to his lungs.<br>' Who said anything about- It's not... No-one's 'falling' for anyone, alright? And nothing about this shit is innocent. I d-don't even-' He stuttered slightly and trailed off, unsure of how he intended to end the sentence. Both parties were silent for a few seconds.

' You n-nearly made me waste good alcohol.' Marshall added moodily, eying Femme as he finished off the rest of the bottle. She pouted at him when he smashed the bottle on the ground.  
>' Drunkard.'<br>' Fuck up.' He replied, his words slightly slurred as the amount of drugs in his system overrided all of his magical predispositions. He got up off the concrete piece and dusted his butt off, making it clear he was about to leave.  
>' Where you off to?' Marshall ignored her, humming quietly to himself. His walk only showed the slightest bit of wobble, but the second he was back in the air you wouldn't have known he was completely scrambled. Femme decided to follow him, to prevent him from doing anything stupid. Scratch that, abnormally stupid. The regular stupid stuff was funny to watch him attempt.<p>

Femme decided against turning into the owl and instead shape shifted into a small nightingale, making sure he wouldn't notice her as he drifted. She could hear him singing as he went, and although the words were a little blurry his pitch was as perfect as ever. Apparently, that hadn't changed from when he had occasionally performed with the band rip-roaring drunk and still managed to pull it off. She reckoned there were at least twenty five gigs they had done that Marshall-lee had absolutely no recollection of.

_'I'm talkin' bout blue eyes, blue eyes_  
><em>What's the matter, matter?<em>  
><em>Blue eyes, blue eyes<em>  
><em>What's the matter, matter?'<em>

Femme hadn't heard this one before. It was quite pretty, bouncy and genial. Ew.  
>Marshall suddenly began to dip in the sky again, and she followed him, noticing he was heading for his house. She had always wondered whether living in a tree was a problem for him. If there was a storm or whatever and the thing got damaged, how was he supposed to fix it without burning up?<br>Oddly enough, there appeared to be some light coming from one of the rooms up in the top, where his bedroom was last time she checked. Marshall wouldn't leave lights on while he was gone.  
>Uh-oh. What if he had a ladyfriend, but they were going through strife right now? And she'd only compounded that by giving him the opportunity to do some other girl? Wasn't her fault he'd taken the opportunity, but that would explain why he was so not-happy after getting laid. Poor bastard felt guilty about it. She would've probably cut her losses and skedaddled if this had happened to her. Not that it ever did, she didn't date.<p>

_'So blind, so blind_  
><em>What's the matter, matter?<em>  
><em>Blue eyes, blue eyes...'<em>

Marshall was looking through the window that had the lights on now, and he stopped singing for a moment and sighed. Femme morphed back into her usual, mousy brown-haired self and flattened against the side of the tree. She managed to find a branch hidden in the leaves and stood on it, stopping herself from falling by gripping the side of the window.  
>Marshall's expression was oddly tender, but also resembled a small child trying to understand a foreign concept. Confused and desperate.<br>' She... Her eyes are so pretty. J-just like... Y'know, I just realised I never asked f-for her name. The water demon girl at the bar. But I really didn't care and I s-still don't.' Marshall tripped quietly through his words, the golden candle light from inside the room illuminating his face. Femme twisted over and looked inside, to see a blonde girl wearing nothing but her underwear and a rabbit-eared hat, sitting on her bed with a pair of red pajamas draped across her lap. Even from here, she could see that her fingers were trembling as she held the fabric, and Femme momentarily wondered what was so shocking about fuzzy crimson footie pajamas.  
>' I though t-that her eyes were like hers, but...' Marshall gestured helplessly into the window and Femme tried to see what he was seeing, but her angle prevented her from doing so.<br>' Bunny's beautiful baby-blues.' He murmured, and Femme looked at him disbelievingly. She had never heard him wax lyrical about a woman's eyes before. That was completely out of character.

' Marshall, why is she in your house half-naked if you haven't slept together and why are you creeping on her through the window?' Femme asked after a minute or so of silence. Marshall-lee shook his head and blinked, then looked over at Femme, and she could see that the drink-fog was starting to lift.  
>' This isn't... Uh... Oh s-shit.' He muttered, looking between Femme and the window. Suddenly he did a double take and he stared into the window, one of his hand flying up to his mouth and he bit his knuckle. The shock of pain completely flicked him back to sobriety. Well, that didn't last long.<br>' Oh shit. Oh... Oh shit.' Marshall backed away from the window jerkily, like he had to force himself to, and shot back up into the sky. Femme, slightly shell-shocked, took a few moments before she jumped off the tree and turned into a hawk, streaking after him. Pretty soon she was next to him again, watching the wind whip through his hair and bring tears to his eyes with it's force. That was the only reason he'd have tears in his eyes, right?  
>' Marshall, slow down!'<br>' Fuck off Femme, go away!' He yelled back, gritting his teeth and preparing to go even faster. Femme saw this and clawed at his back before it could happen, feeling her talons sink into the skin of his shoulder blade as she grimly clung on. Marshall cried out in pain and dropped out of the sky, tearing at her feathers in order to try and get her off. Femme snapped at his fingers with her powerful hooked beak and Marshall hissed at her in retaliation, his eyes dark, frightened and frightening. They hit the ground a second later, the wind being knocked out of both of them and Femme morphed back into her usual form as she rolled across the the reasonable flat piece of grassland, coughing.

' Marshall, what the fuck!?' She screamed at him when she got up and saw that he was still on his knees, cussing incoherently.  
>' Shut up, just shut the fuck up!' Marshall growled back, his fingers fisting in his hair as he curled over himself in the grass, rocking back and forth slightly. Femme walked over to him and viciously kicked him in the stomach, which instead of firing him up like she had hoped it would, only made him grunt slightly and curl up tighter.<br>' Fuck you, Marshall-lee! Fuck you and fuck your cryptic words!' She dropped to her knees and pummeled his back, her fists becoming covered in the blackish blood that was slowly leaking from the cuts she had left. She stopped, panting, after a few moments. Marshall had shown no reaction whatsoever and Femme sighed and fell back onto her butt, shaking her head at him.  
>' Fuck you, Marshall.' She groaned half-heartedly, annoyed at how definitely this night had not gone the way she intended it to go. Whatever happened to fun? This guy used to live for it, and now...<p>

' What did I say about her?' Marshall mumbled, his forehead still dangerously close to a meeting with his knees. Femme studied him for a few moments.  
>' You kept talking about how much you liked her eyes, and how you thought they were like the chick you had banged but your girl's were better.' Marshall made a small pained noise at this information, and Femme saw his fingers clench in his hair.<br>' I wanna fuck her so fucking hard.' He moaned. Femme fanned her face, glaring at him cynically. He swore a lot when he was stressed. Stupid outlet, but an outlet all the same.  
>' Is that what this is all about? Then fuck her for Gob's sake. And stop with all this moping. Why did you even get with the chick at the pub if she wasn't-'<br>' Because I was hoping she would be! I was hoping I just wanted to _fuck_ her, not fuck _her_. But- But...' Femme leaned forward and put a hand on Marshall's back, huffing at a piece of her hair that had fallen in her eyes.  
>' Marshall, c'mon.' He looked up at her and Femme was shocked to see that he was once again on the verge of tears. She had barely ever seen him cry. Marshall-lee didn't get sad or scared. He didn't look frustrated and afraid, He was never this emotional about anything. He didn't care enough, or at least that's what she had always believed.<br>' Femme, a few days ago we were just friends and I thought she was hot, but I didn't want her like this. I didn't need her like this. And I need _her_, specifically. I need her so fucking bad. Even now, I'm in fucking hell, and I don't mean like the Nightosphere. I wanna touch her and hold her and taste her, and I don't even know how I'm not in her room right now, tying her to the bed again because that's fucking it. That's the only thing I want to do, that's all I can think about, and I-I... I think I might... That she might somehow... I'm starting to think that _she's_ fucking _it._ And I.. I'm_ scared_.'

' I-I don't know what to tell ya.' Femme stammered eventually. This was completely out of her depth. She had never seen anyone break in this way before, and she had actively avoided being responsible for picking up the pieces of even the tiniest mess.  
>Marshall-lee looked at her for a few seconds and she saw something pass through his expression that she didn't like. It made her feel inadequate.<br>'... I'm going home.' Marshall muttered, picking himself up off the grass and starting to walk, rolling his shoulder painfully and running the fingers of his other hand along the edge of the scratches as he went. Femme simply watched, kneeling on the grass.  
>' But we just came from your-'<br>' That's not mine anymore. It's hers.' Marshall-lee sighed, his eyebrows pulling together as he closed his eyes and almost immediately, her lips shaping his name projected onto the screen of his mind. So hard to stay away.  
>' It's Fionna's.'<p>

Femme stood up and looked back in the direction they had come from, suddenly trying to reason against an insatiable hunger to discover who had so much power over the most efficient and deadly playboy she had ever known. A little blonde girl called Fionna had just become the biggest man-slayer ever. And she wore a bunny hat.  
>How could she resist the temptation to figure out what the hell was going on with that?<p>

**Author's note: Weeelll, that was a bit of a blockbuster chapter. Lots happening, lots going on. The whole thing with alcohol is my personal headcanon, I don't think demons and monsters would process poison the same way we would. Marshall also had enough booze (He was drinking with the demon girl too) for your average drinker to faceplant in the street. Instead he was drunk for roughly half an hour. Immortality, people. It has it's pros and cons, and many are interchangeable.  
>So, has anybody got any theories about what's going on with Marshall? And how do you think Fionna's feeling right now? Communicate darlings, I'd love to hear from you :)<strong>

-**WRA**


	8. Chapter 8- Run from The Puppet Master

Fionna stared up at the ceiling, her eyes tracing the same series of notches and lines in the wood for the millionth time. She could hear the clock ticking downstairs, and Cake murmuring quietly in her sleep about something like 'pig cluck.' Outside, the night was frosty, the wind playing carelessly and freezing itself so that its teeth chattered audibly and its bite was all the more vicious. But the sky was clear and full of stars, so many that anything or one that might've been outside would've been able to see exactly where they were going.  
>In spite of herself, she was waiting for him.<br>Because she wanted to beat his _motherlumpin' brains out._

That perverted, sick, manipulative, opportunistic, violating son of a blee-blop! How in the fresh hell did he think he could get away with doing something like that!? There were lines that sometimes you couldn't help if your subconscious crossed, but woe betide anyone who dared venture past them in real life. He had no right, _absolutely no right_ to do that to her, to take advantage of her like that! He frickin' tied her up! Nobody was allowed to do that to her, especially not somebody she'd been friends with for years. Sure, the emotional connection may be changing a little now that she was older, but... but... _ But hold the fuck up!_  
>Even when she was just thinking, somehow Fionna still wasn't comfortable with using real swear words. She glanced over at Cake guiltily then mentally chastised herself for doing so. Cake couldn't read minds, why was she so paranoid? She could do whatever she liked in her own headspace, and whatever she liked in her own private time. But Marshall-lee was most definitely not allowed to listen in on said private time or do anything to her headspace whatsoever, much less play around in it like a gobdamned six year old.<br>He broke into her _room_, tied her up and- and...  
>Somehow she couldn't continue with that thought. She had been trying to for the past hour, ever since she had turned off the lights and faked sleep when Cake finally turned in. But she just couldn't comprehend how far she had let him go. She had <em>let <em>him. What the fuck did that say about her? Did that means she was easy? she had made out with a completely different guy only today, and she had only actually figured out what tier fifteen was tonight! It was way too much, she was diving into this whole world much faster than she had ever thought someone like herself ever would. She hadn't believed last night was really happening right from the start, right? That's why she had let him go that far, right?  
>Right?<p>

R-regardless, It had happened. And she was mad.  
>But was she really mad at him, or at herself? Because she <em>had<em> let him. Marshall was right, She would've kicked him out if she really didn't want him there. Marshall could easily overpower her, but she could've screamed the place down if she had chosen to, and she didn't. She had let him, and she shouldn't of, that was the plain and simple truth.  
>So really, she was mad because in spite of everything he had done, she still liked him. Like that too.<br>And what did _that_ say about her!?  
>Fionna tugged her pillow out from under her head and pulled it tightly across her face, screaming profanities for a few seconds then shaking it roughly above her in a choke-hold. She wanted to beat someone- in particular- up, but it wasn't like she was going to return his gesture and break into his fucking bedroom in the middle of the night. So she would have to settle for something or maybe someanimal. Either way, she definitely wasn't going to be sleeping much tonight.<p>

She sighed and dropped her pillow down the end of the bed, then swung her legs over the edge of the bed, thinking about how she was going to get herself prepared without a light source. Just before her toes touched the ground, she heard a faint creak from downstairs, and almost dismissed it as the wind. Then she barely heard a tiny metallic click and realised the creaking had been the hinge of one of the windows.  
>Someone had just broken into her house.<br>And Fionna reckoned she knew exactly who that son of a bitch was.

It was hard to try and be as silent as possible when so much immediate rage-drenalin pounded into her system at the realisation, but she managed to cross the bedroom floor without making a noise. Growing up with a cat for an older sister helped in learning how to walk quietly. She crept down the ladder and as soon as she was in the main room, she grabbed her spare sword out of the umbrella stand and readied herself for a severe ass-kicking.  
>' Marshall, I know you're in here so show your face you perverted creep.' She hissed menacingly. There was silence for a few seconds, and then she heard the sound of air being inhaled between teeth.<br>' Oh dear. Ooh, honey this ain't good.' The voice was unfamiliar but the cadence reminded her of her sister upstairs, and Fionna was momentarily taken aback that she had been wrong. Marshall couldn't imitate voices very well, his own tone was so muliticultural it was much too distinctive.  
>' Who are you? If you try anything, I'll slice you up like lunchmeat.' Fionna half-whispered demandingly, unwilling to wake up her sister until the threat was real. She was a big girl, she could take care of herself and make her own decisions. Be responsible and clear-headed. Starting now, the last few days didn't count.<br>' I am Curious. Well that's _what_ I am at least. What are you?'  
>' I'm- Uh, I'm confused? What are you doing in my house and what's your name, dammit!?' Fionna blinked in surprise when the candle balanced on a barrel by the windowsill suddenly whoofed into life. The brown-haired woman standing next to it flicked a reptilian tongue across her cheek, mouth open in a large scary grin with a faint wisp of smoke issuing between jagged teeth. As Fionna watched, her smile, no, her whole mouth shrank until it was similar to her own, though with thinner lips.<p>

She was tall and slim, a figure that was long and smooth and flowing rather than full or lush. She wore grey suede high-heeled ankle boots, navy blue skinny jeans and a white tank top with a red bra beneath. Her mousy hair was straight and shoulder length, parted to the right and her features were long like the rest of her, eyes angled upwards and thin with sharp green irises.  
>The woman was unarmed and had adopted a rather casual stance, so Fionna lowered her sword cautiously. She didn't appear to be in any direct danger.<br>' Who're you?' She questioned. The woman deigned to reply, studying her for a good long time. She suddenly felt self-conscious in her conspicous lack of pajamas ( No way was she wearing the red ones with Marshall all over them. She had instead adopted an old t-shirt and underwear) and impatiently brushed her fringe out of the way.  
>' I'm Femme Filou, Shapeshifter, second guitarist for the Rock Gods and generally a fun gal.' She said eventually, when she had finished sizing up the girl in front of her. Fionna processed this for a second.<br>' I'm-'  
>' I know who you are. Well, sort of. Fionna, right?' Fionna froze for a second and frowned at Femme.<br>' Uh. yes. That's my name... How do you know that? And what do you want?' Femme laughed and walked over to Fionna's couch, plonking herself down and crossing one leg over the other. She rocked the upper one back and forth playfully, like a child anticipating a prize. Fionna watched her with mild annoyance. The hell was this lady?  
>' Well honey, I can answer both of those questions with three words: Marshall-lee Abadeer.'<br>All of Fionna's irks were instantly forgotten and Femme noted with some dismay the immediate scowl that crossed her face at the mention of this name. Oh, Marshall had stuffed up with this girl big somehow, but she wasn't quite sure exactly how. It's such a shame that the one girl he finally likes for more than her figure was also the one girl who apparently wouldn't put up with his bullshit for the sake of boning him. Come to think of it, that might have been why he liked her. Maybe it was time to do a little damage control on his behalf. She had torn his back to pieces, after all.

' ... Oh.'  
>' That didn't sound positive.' Fionna grabbed a chair from the kitchen and dragged it into the living room, positioning herself opposite the shapeshifter.<br>' I'm mad at him.'  
>' Join the club, girlie. Everyone's mad at him at some point, he's an idiot.'<br>' Well, how do you know him?'  
>' I said, I play second guitar in his band. We go back a long time, probably longer than you've been alive. Depending on what species you are, I've never seen one like you before. Are you Capuscid? Or a weird Rohamian-Faerin hybrid?' Femme saw that she had immediately left the girl behind and back tracked mentally, but before she could ask anything else Fionna replied.<br>' No, I-I'm human. Fionna the Human.' Femme's eyebrows shot way up and she covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile.  
>' Oh wow. Human?' Fionna nodded, and Femme couldn't stop herself from giving a short laugh. A Human girl. He really was an idiot, in every single way. Well, if they did end up together she wouldn't be human for long.<br>' Uh, yeah. That explains a lot. How the hell do you know him well enough to hate him if you're his dinner, darling?' Fionna shook her head, looking down at one of her hands then pensively biting her thumbnail.  
>' I don't hate him per say, but right now I'm... Right now, I want to hit him into next year with a baseball bat.'<br>' So you like him then? Usually?'  
>' I gue- Wait, why do you care?'<br>' I haven't seen Marshall in a while Fionna, and he hasn't had a girlfriend since he left Ashley. Naturally, being the good friend that I am, his female friends are of interest to me.' Fionna blushed and shook her head at Femme, raising one hand.  
>' No no, we're not- W-we aren't like that at all.' She said, blushing deeper and feeling herself becoming embarrassed and annoyed as she remembered last night. Femme watched her and smirked.<br>' So you might say, but your face gives you away. Plus when you thought I was him, you called me a perverted creep. What'd he do to piss you off, honey?' Fionna could feel her cheeks burning up and shook her head.  
>' He crossed some lines that should never be crossed without permission. That he didn't have.' Femme thought about this for a moment, unsurprised. So he had tried something on with her, definitely, only she wasn't receptive to it. But there was more to it than that.<br>' You ain't giving me the whole story. C'mon, I've known him for years, maybe I can tell you what's going through his head.' Femme helpfully left out the part that she knew exactly what was going through his head. She wanted to see both sides of the game board before she started to play.  
>Fionna sighed, and her mouth worked a couple times as she tried to decide what to say. Maybe this woman really could help her. If she had known Marshall for that long, she would also know what made him tick, really got him going. She could help her.<br>' See- Well, I-I... Okay, simply put: Even though he has violated every rule of common decency that exists in the past few days, I... Well, I-'  
>' You like him, don'cha?' Femme questioned indulgently, settling both her elbows into the valley between her knees, then leaning forward and balancing her chin on the base of her palms. Well, problem solved right there. Tell Marshall that she returned his feelings, then he could apologise for whatever he had done and rail her so hard he would break the bed.<br>Sure, that would've been the altruistic, good thing to do.  
>Pfft.<br>What fun was there in that?

Fionna blushed and nodded, groaning and pulling the top of her bunny hat down over her eyes.  
>' And I don't know why! I'm so f- I'm so pissed at him and he's been acting like such a douchecopter but even after all of that, <em>still-<em>'  
>' Yeah, you've managed to catch Marshallmania. It's highly contagious, about half of the straight women who are exposed to the source develop this condition. It causes the sufferer to forgive the source any and all misgivings, and develop an uncontrollable desire to let the source take them seven ways to heaven.' Fionna groaned again, but this time it was at Femme's long-winded joke, and she raised the bunny hat and stared at her, unimpressed.<br>' Oh, har-de-har. That was like, a weird amalgamation of something he would say, but with words that Gumball would use.' At the mention of the Candy Prince, Femme noticeably froze up, and her pupils dialated. Gumball. This girl knew Gumball?  
>' Y-... You know... Bartholomew?' She asked after a few seconds, her expression remaining exactly the same- slightly shell shocked. Fionna raised an eyebrow at her, tipping her head slightly to the side.<br>' Um, duh. I kind of work for him. Sort of. I do stuff for him, and he does stuff for me, it's more like a mutual trade I suppose.' She mused, going off on a tangent, unaware of how her words had affected Femme.  
>Fucking <em>Gumball.<em>  
>She used to call him Mew-mew. It made him mad at first, but then that one time, he admitted he liked it.<br>But only from her.  
>' You're not, um, doing anything for him right now, are ya?' Fionna shook her head, leaning back in her chair and huffing at her fringe.<br>' Nope. I kinda wish I was, then I'd have something else to focus on beyond Fang-face and how much he annoys me.' Yeah, Marshall and this chick. That was what she should be concentrating on.  
>Time to mess with stuff.<p>

' So, you want a shot at the most unattainable bachelor in Aaa?'  
>' Wait, what?'<br>' Well honey, he's a thousand years old and he hasn't settled down, that kinda indicates-'  
>' No no, I meant who the hell says I want a shot with him, especially right now after what he's done?' Femme laughed, pointing a manicured fingernail at the adventuress.<br>' You did, cherie. You still like him after 'what he's done' so evidently nothing's gonna stop this train on it's crash course. Incidentally, what did he do? C'mon, don't be shy.' Fionna shook her head.  
>' He did stuff.'<br>' Oh, don't do that. The suspense is killing me.'  
>' He eavesdropped on me and he broke into my room at night two days ago.' Femme raised an eyebrow at Fionna, folding her arms and leaning back into the couch.<br>' In the scheme of what he can do, that's really not that bad.' Fionna gave her a look, sizing Femme up.  
>' He eavesdropped on me when I was alone, Then he pinned me to the floor and probably would've done I don't know, something if my sister hadn't come home and then he broke into my room at night and got into my bed. Then stripped me and tied me down. Then left, for no fuckin' reason at all. I thought it was a dream 'till I found the rips in my clothing earlier.' Fionna told her, her expression remaining completely deadpan and detached the entire time she was explaining.<br>Femme was silent for a few moments. So _that's_ what was so shocking about red footie pajamas.  
>'... To be blatantly honest Fionna, to me that just sounds like aggressive flirting coming from him.' Fionna stood up and threw her hands in the air.<br>' What!? Bull, that's not flirting that's... He broke into my room and tied me up! Then he- he...' Fionna quietened down when she realised how loud she was being. Somehow, she didn't think Cake would appreciate her talking to a stranger in their living room in the middle of the night.  
>' Flirting is like, saying stuff and I don't know, trying to hug them or whatever.' Femme started laughing, smirking at Fionna's naievity.<br>' Not if you're Marshall. He's much more direct then that, not to mention impulsive to the point of insanity. Also I have to ask honey, have you even had sex before?'  
>' N-no, I've only had one boyfriend.'<br>' Well that explains a lot. I wonder if he likes then innocence? Regardless: Fionna, if you ever want a chance with him, you're going to need my help. Someone as inexperienced as you is liable to make a total fool of yourself otherwise.' Fionna felt vaguely insulted by Femme's assertion but she wasn't incorrect. She had no idea how to be sexy, or how to turn Marshall on (Though she had somehow done that without trying when he had her on the floor) and Femme knew him and also looked like she knew a thing or two about the other stuff. Street smarts. Or in this case, sheet smarts.  
>' But why do you want to help me anyways?'<br>' Oh, I saw Marshall earlier and he's such a sad sack at the moment, nowhere near as fun as he used to be. Maybe having a girl in his life will cheer him up.' Femme half-lied cheerfully. Fionna considered this for a moment. Femme watched her, then stood up and dusted herself off.  
>' Speaking of which, since I'll be sticking around here being cupid, I need to find a place to crash. You should go back to bed, 'cause we'll have some stuff to sort out tomorrow.' Fionna blinked at her then gasped in surprise as Femme turned into a nightingale again.<br>' W- you're a shapeshifter?' She exclaimed as Femme flittered over to the window.  
>' Uhuh, which means I can coach you without people even knowing I'm there. Trust me, I have only your best intentions at heart. Sweet dreams.' Femme twittered over her shoulder then flew off into the surprisingly non-dark night.<p>

The moon was just beginning to wax, having been at it's fullest the night before. Femme could easily see where she was going. But where she was going was not something she knew, exactly. She needed to go find Marshall, to see what he was doing and to see if she could stay with him for a while. Ever since he and Gum... ball had ended up on bad terms, there was no way they'd be anywhere near each other, so she wouldn't have to worry about bumping into the aforementioned royalty if she was at his place.  
><em>Mew-mew.<em>  
>She hadn't seen him in years.<p>

Femme dropped down onto the grass and immediately shifted straight from the nightingale into the form of a wolf, who's fur shone slightly navy blue in the cold white light of the moon. She had been flying in roughly the same direction she had ended up chasing Marshall when he had come here the first time, and she could still pick up faint traces of his blood in the area. He had said he was going home, no reason to suspect he would've been lying. He probably wanted to go and sleep off his battle wounds and his post-coital regret from bonking that other girl.  
>Femme followed the trail that he had left behind and soon started smelling traces of varying degrees of age all over the general area, converging on a central point. She wound between some rocks and climbed over a wrecked road barrier, following her nose to the entrance of a high-ceilinged cave well concealed beneath a wrecked overpass. This is where Marshall had said to meet him earlier that night, he hadn't mentioned it was now where he lived.<br>Huh, a cave. Figured.

She padded down silently over the surprisingly smooth rock, the surface worn down like it had once been the bed of an underground river. Inside, she could see a small, unassuming cottage with a wooden fence around the outside and a deck over a huge underground lake out the back. When she got to the front steps, she shifted back into her usual form and fixed her hair, before letting herself in. The door was unlocked.  
>' Marshall? So this <em>is<em> your new bachelor pad. Why didn't ya tell me?' She said to a dark room. Above her, she heard a muffled groan and a trapdoor over on the opposite side of the room opened, light spilling through. Marshall's upside down visage popped through it, showing a vertically reversed expression of distaste.  
>' So you wouldn't turn up in the middle of the night, like you just have. Thanks for knocking.'<br>' Welcome.' Marshall looked unimpressed.  
>' What're you doing here?'<br>' I need a place to stay for a bit, and judging by what you told me earlier you need me around.' Marshall-lee raised an eyebrow at her, then disappeared for a moment. He then floated down through the trapdoor and turned on the lights down stairs. He was wearing the same jeans and shoes from earlier, but had changed into a t-shirt and a leather hoodie uptop.  
>' What makes you think I need you, or ever have?'<br>' Ouch. Right in the friendship.'  
>' You know what I mean, Femme.' Femme looked at him impetuously for a moment, then lent against the wall and started inspecting her fingernails.<br>' Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that you literally curled into a snivelling ball on the grass and admitted to me that you were scared of believing you might be falling in love?' She said scathingly. Marshall-lee glared at her with real anger, and Femme eyed him impassively in return.  
>' <em>Fuck you<em>.' He replied curtly, then floated back up into his bedroom. Femme watched him go, then sighed, following him. There was a ladder on wheels pushed into the corner of the room, and she dragged it over so that she could get in.

Marshall's tastes really hadn't changed much, so she didn't spend time investigating the space. But she was surprised to see that there was a duffel bag open on Marshall's bed, full of clothing, a couple notebooks and other random items. Marshall was digging in his closet.  
>' What're you packing for?'<br>' I said I was going home. I meant home-home. Well, where I came from, thinking on it now it wasn't really much of a 'home' anyways.' Femme frowned at him.  
>'But you and your mom-'<br>'- Aren't ripping each other's throats out anymore. Guess who's fault _that_ was.' He muttered with a mixture of cynicism and pain under his breath, taking a box out of his closet and putting it in the bag.  
>' Wow. Okay. That's actually kind of impressive. She didn't look like much.' Marshall shot her a look, doing up the zip on the bag.<br>' Don't pass your fucking high-and-mighty judgement on her. You don't know what she's like.' Femme blinked, too surprised to correct him as Marshall stalked past her and jumped through the trapdoor. When Femme climbed down after him, she heard the fridge opening and closing.  
>' That- Whoa, um. Okay Marshall, seriously. I don't think that's what you wanna do right now. Running away won't help you.' Marshall-lee returned with a bottle of bugmilk and a marker pen.<br>' Apparently you don't know me either.' He retorted, drawing a smiley face on the wall. When Femme said nothing back, he sighed, beginning to open the milk.  
>' Yeah, I'm fucking scared. Femme, she's a human. According to nature, me and her is literally impossible, even if our bodies will fit together. I might kill her if I'm too rough on her and she bleeds, and I-I don't want to. But right now I wanna fuck her even more than I want to keep her alive. I've got no control anymore.' He looked away almost as if he was ashamed, but Femme knew different. He was frightened, really and truly. Good gob, miracles did happen.<p>

Marshall threw the milk on the smiley face, and it absorbed the substance then began to glow.  
><em>' <em>_Maloso Vobiscum Et Cum Spiritum._' The portal opened up and a puff of smoke drifted into the room, vaguely shaped like a crying woman. Marshall waved it away and shouldered his bag, but just before he could leave, Femme grabbed his arm.  
>' But- What does this do for you?'<br>' It means I- It makes it harder for me to get to her, no matter how much I want to. There's only a few ways out of the Nightosphere, and none of them are quick or easy. It can't be permanent, If I stay away from her then maybe- Maybe...' Femme could hear the desperation in his voice, and decided that she wouldn't stop him.

She didn't need him around to turn Fionna into walking seduction, and it would be a nice surprise if he came back and still wanted her, and hilarious if he didn't (actually, it'd probably be hilarious either way). He was a thousand years old, it was (about) time he became mature enough to fall in love with someone, for real. Fionna just happened to be in the right place at the right time. It was only a shame (for both of them, currently) that his heart was apparently as impulsive as the rest of him. But in spite of the obvious drawbacks, she liked the coupling. They would look good together, a nice contrast. Marshall just needed to grow a pair when it came to emotional connections, and if running home to mommy was what it took then he could fucking sprint.  
>' Can I stay here while you're gone?'<br>' Fine, just don't touch my shit.' Marshall replied emotionlessly, then walked through the portal. It immediately closed behind him, leaving Femme alone staring at a crack in the plaster of his wall.

**Author's note: Weow. So much drama. And yeah, _of course_ Fionna's pissed. Wouldn't you be? But she's also rather confused poor dea****r, and it's not in her nature to stay mad at people so in all likely hood, Marshall will probably get off scot-free, like always. Maybe. I haven't decided yet. but I have started the next chapter, so hopefully not too long to wait for you guys :D**

**-WRA**


	9. Chapter 9- Exhausted and Excited

As The portal closed behind him, Marshall sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, wincing at the flicker of blonde tresses that flashed through his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, literally every time, she was there. It was like she had decided to camp out in his head, and she didn't like it when he closed the blinds. She'd come tap tap tappin' into the front of his thoughts and wouldn't leave him alone until he started doing something else. But even then, she was never far away, always in the periphery of his mind's eye.  
>This couldn't be healthy.<p>

He took the opportunity to glance around the landscape that sprawled uninvitingly in front of him, about as welcoming as the dripping red maw of a blood thirsty monster. Sharp red rock mountains slotted themselves between stalactites falling from an unseen roof like enormous fangs. There were pools of lava flowing between them and various creatures, hooved, winged, demonic and tortured peppered the area. Marshall could see a squat, angular pile of obsidian in the distance, shining brightly in the reflection of the flames bursting off the lava where unfortunate beings burned forever. His mother's home was carved into the other side of the polished mound of rock.  
>Apparently, this place was as depressing as ever. Pretty metal compared to Aaa, but when you grow up surrounded by destruction, the opposite is actually more shocking. People could actually live without an agenda? Falling asleep to the sound of screaming was weird? Go figure.<br>Marshall drifted across the pools of lava, tuning out the cries of the monsters that stretched helplessly for his ankles, searching for someone to share in their suffering. He didn't know how his mother would react to him coming home. She was unpredictable at best, fucking psycho at worst. The best thing would be if she just left him alone to sort out his shit. If she got all s-motherly, that would suck so much ass. He didn't need her barging in on him and trying to be a parent to make up for the first three centuries.  
>However, this was home, even if he hated it. No matter where he went, this was always a place he could come back to, and that held some small level of comfort somehow. Familiarity was a force to be reckoned with.<p>

Marshall skirted the sheer ebony cliff faces and touched down on a small balcony that jutted outwards irregularly, though the surface atop was smooth but slightly lumpy, like someone had poured thick syrup and frozen it before it could settle. Carved into the glass-like rock was an elaborate entrance way, two columns holding up an overhang that sheltered an enormous pair of heavy black doors embossed with a strange silver metal that seemed to shine faintly blue. The door knocker was shaped like a demon's head, the fangs growing out and together to form the handle. There was also a small, thin creature sitting on a rock outside the door, the fact that his brown hat was covering his eyes doing little to disguise the fact he was clearly sleeping. Marshall carefully took off the creature's hat and snickered at his pair of nubby grey horns nestled between thinning blonde curls, then promptly slapped him across the face with the cap.  
>' Snrk- Gh... W-what? Who're you?' The demon questioned, slightly bewildered. This was the back entrance to the night queen's home, no-one was allowed to enter from this side.<br>' Hey buddy, If you wanna consult the queen you're gonna have to-'  
>' Don't you recognise me?' Marshall questioned, a small smirk on his face. He had realised who the guard was the second he saw those laughably small horns. His name was Satnavtakrak (everyone called him Nav) and he had been his mother's watchdog for millenia so that he wouldn't end up in a lava pit instead.<br>' ...No?' Nav replied, squinting at Marshall for a few seconds. He then reached behind his rock and retrieved a very thick pair of glasses and put them on, blinking as his eyes adjusted.  
>' Is that- By my own eyes, Marshall-lee? Jeepers! You've grown up a bit, kid. Congrats!' Marshall frowned at him, confused by the closing sentiment, but decided to shake it off. Nav was weird, everybody knew that.<br>' Yeah, it's been a while Nav. Can you get the door?'  
>' Sure thing, sure!' Nav replied jovially, bouncing up and tiptoeing over to the door. Nav tiptoed everywhere. He desperately tried to fit in with the real demons, given he was supposed to be a tortured being, and so had taken to wearing fake hooves on his feet. That required him to tiptoe.<br>He opened one of the great doors and let them inside, magical candles immediately flickering to life in their presence. In someways, even though he didn't really want to acknowledge it, he did take after his mother. Particularly in her sense of aesthetics. Lots of red and black, though she was a little more extravagant then he was, plushy velvet and shiny-shiny rather than faded and lived-in. However, she didn't like light the way he did. It annoyed her.

' So, I'm guessing you're popping back home because-'  
>' Actually I'm gonna stay for a bit. Like I said, it's been a while. Plus things on the otherside have been pretty crazy lately.' Nav started laughing heartily, and elbowed Marshall's side conspiratorially.<br>' I'll bet mate, I'll bet. So who- Nah, no spoilers. I'll wait until the official announcement, it can't be more than a few days. Good of you to decide to stay, give your old mumsy some time to get over the shock.' Nav burbled happily, guiding Marshall through the hallways. Marshall ignored Nav's rambling, surprised to discover he didn't recognise some doorways and corridors, or remember paintings that were hanging on the walls. It really had been a long time.  
>Nav waved Marshall into a corner, still chuckling to himself as he walked over to a grating and peered through. He visibly deflated at what he saw, and walked back over to Marshall pouting.<br>' Looks like Queen mum's in high demand right now, kiddo. I don't think you'll be able to see her until this evening. And I really wanted to see her face when ya broke the news. Priceless.' Marshall scrunched his eyebrows together.  
>' What news?' Nav immediately brightened and jerked his eyebrows at Marshall, slapping his forearm (which was the only part of him he could reach).<br>' Aw c'mon. Fine, I'll play along, though don't think you sneak anything past old Satnavtakrak.'  
>' Uh.. Sure. Shouldn't you get back to sle- Guarding?' Marshall asked, starting to ghost along a hallway he suddenly recognised. Nav hesitated for a moment then acquiesced, tiptoeing off where they had come from.<br>' Yeah, I should. Congrats again mate, good on ya!' Marshall stopped and looked after him, even more confused but becoming frustrated when he heard that Nav was still giggling to himself as he clip-clopped down the hall. What the hell was that old loon talking about? His mother should think about getting a new watchdog before her old one became too senile.  
>Nav had been a constant fixture from the first time his mother brought (dragged) him home after the mushroom wars. He had been enjoying living rough, but she had insisted that the future ruler of the nightosphere (Pfft. As if.) couldn't be a common vagrant. She'd only managed to keep him around for three years before he found one of the secret ways out and escaped again. Through all that time, in attempting to avoid her as much as possible, he had become friends with Nav so that his buddy would let him sneak out whenever he liked. Somehow, his mother never figured out that Nav was the reason he kept getting away, much to both's surprise and relief.<p>

Marshall paused at a fourway intersection between two hallways and inspected each direction for a moment, looking for a familiar spiral staircase he knew would be at the end of one branching off of the current four he was facing. He had had no desire to go back into the room his mother kept him in when he was a really little kid, and so had taken up residence in the rarely used third level of his mother's mansion the first time he came back. The third level used to have stuff like libraries, studies and guest rooms. They had been important back when his mother had first taken control and had to renegotiate agreements with other areas of the underworld, but she had been top dog for centuries so no-one ever really went up there now.  
>The first hallway he tried didn't show up anything, so he quickly backtracked and soon spotted the familiar, slightly rusty iron staircase tucked away in the back of an unassuming deviation from the main corridor.<br>Upstairs was eerily silent but surprisingly well kept. The dusty, abandoned feeling he got was purely mental, as like everything else in his mother's irritatingly perfect home, the unused level was still immaculately maintained. Woe betide any unfortunate worker that wasn't Nav who skimped on the job. Lava pits. She'd never run out of those things, or tortured souls who wanted out of them.  
>Marshall cut a complicated trail through a series of interconnected rooms, then passed through a barely visible doorway next to a fireplace, shutting the door silently behind him. Nobody but himself knew exactly where his room was at home, and he had kept it that way deliberately. But he was still a little apprehensive about turning around and seeing whether that was still the case, because if anybody had been in here he would be monumentally pissed. It was a private sanctuary in a place he fucking hated. Anyone who entered without permission was like an infection on the sanctity of it.<br>He was really possessive of his stuff.

Marshall sighed in relief and dropped his duffelbag on the slightly twisted black cotton bedcovers, which were rumpled and messy just the way he had left them some four hundred years ago. His midnight black cursed (and glowing faintly blue) electric sat in the corner of the room leaning against a a slightly scratched wooden desk. Other than an inbuilt closet, a window and vents, there was nothing else in the rather small room. Though the walls were absolutely plastered with papers, with anything from writing to intricate pencil sketches covering them.  
>Sure, he could've repurposed one of the massive, draughty, stately libraries, but those were imposing and impersonal. He liked the small space, preferred it. It reminded him that this wasn't somewhere he should stay and fill up with memories, because as the walls showed it filled up rather fast. It was a temporary stop-over to catch his breath. Forget the last few days.<br>Last two days.  
>Fuck's sake. This had gotten real a lot faster than anything he'd ever experienced. He avoided coming home at all costs, but it had really seemed like the only option that would prevent him from doing something he'd regret. He didn't know if he would actually regret having sex with Fionna but depending on her reaction there was a high probability he would. She meant too much to him as a friend (friend?) for him to brush aside the possibilty of really hurting her in the process, much less accidentally killing her. Just the thought of her dying in his arms sent a twinge of real physical pain lancing through his chest. The thought of her in his arms though, sent a twinge of something else. It didn't disturb him as much anymore. He was getting used to how much he constantly wanted her, though denying the urge was still extremely trying.<br>Marshall-lee lay back on the bed and sighed heavily, suddenly realising he was exhausted. it'd be close to morning in Aaa, but he'd barely slept in the last forty eight hours. Fucking insomnia. Always happened when he was stressed.  
>Fucking Fionna.<br>What was it about her that made her so damn irresistible? And why had it only gotten to him now?

Marshall allowed his fatigued brain to roam freely as he began to drift (literally) into unconsciousness, and was unsurprised when Fionna's soft, purring voice and warm lips against his ear lulled him into sleep, her arms wrapping around his chest from behind and pulling him down into a dream with her.

* * *

><p>'Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey, doll.' Fionna squinted blearily, vaguely recognising the seductive voice in her ear but very surprised it was indeed there. She rolled over in her sleeping bag and came face-to face with a slim navy blue cat perched primly on the edge of her bed. The cat blinked familiar green eyes at her then began washing her paws, the picture of elegance.<br>'Femme?' She mumbled, wrinkling her nose and reflexively closing one eye at the sunshine spilling in through the open window. That had been closed. Obviously, the shapeshifter was somewhat adept at letting herself in.  
>' You know it.' Femme replied walking over and settling herself on the top of Fionna's hip. She was such a thin cat that Fionna only felt the barest sense of pressure, completely the opposite of Cake. Speaking of which-<br>' Where's my sister?'  
>' Oh, she has no idea I'm here, honey. I checked when I came in. Your sister is chasing holographic mice with that cute little videogame box ya got.' Fionna sat up and extracted her arms from the sleeping bag, fabric pooling around her waist as she rubbed her eyes then tapped on her temples gently, waking herself up. Femme gradually morphed back into a person, ending cross-legged at the foot of the bed holding her ankles expectantly.<br>' Why're you here so early?'  
>' Cause I got my work cut out with you, babydoll. If I'm gonna turn you into the kinda gal that'll get Marshall's heart beating again, I gotta get right to it, eh? I'm not one to procrastinate.'<br>' Oh.' Fionna said after a second, before stifling a yawn. She stuck her hand up into her hat to scratch the back of her head, and reluctantly decided that the mass of tangles she was met with sort of dictated she ought to brush her hair.  
>Femme let out a low whistle as Fionna tugged off her hat and kicked off the sleeping bag around her legs, swinging them over the side before she walked over to her desk in the corner of the room to fetch her hair brush.<br>' Wow. That's some hair you got there, honey.' Fionna shrugged, sitting back down and starting to drag the bristles through the curly strands.  
>' Eh. I just can't be bothered to cut it. My hat keeps it out of the way so, why bother?' Femme gestured for the hair brush and after a moment's hesitation, Fionna handed it to her. She hadn't had anybody brush her hair for years. It felt nice, though.<br>' I'll tell you why- you shouldn't. Marshall would go _crazy_ over this, he's a sucker for girls with long hair. Tell me bub, does he steal your hat a lot?'  
>' Uh, yeah, actually.'<br>' Well, now you know why. He prefers brunettes really, but damn. This'll do. I was so surprised when he started dating Ashley until I figured out that this was one of his ticks.'

Fionna's ears pricked up at this tidbit of information, and she gleefully realised that Femme was essentially a Marshall infomine. Far from just being able to help her get his attention, she could help her understand why Marshall acted the way he did. Then she'd be able to figure out whether this was even worth it on her own, without the coaching. She could tell her things about Marshall he would never ever tell her on his own.  
>' Really? Did she used to have long hair?'<br>' Yeah, down to her butt, like a river of moonlight. Marshall was obsessed with it, lemme tell ya. I think that's really the only physical characteristic she had that he actually found attractive apart from a pretty face. VK's a T and A kinda guy, and Ash didn't have much o' either. He sulked for like, a week when she shaved it all except for that stupid little ponytail.' Fionna frowned, equally confused and curious, because she could feel Femme tugging on her hair.  
>' T and A?' Femme made an aren't-you-so-precious face at the back of Fionna's head. Such an innocent teenager, my gob. Maybe Marshall really did like that (she had been joking the night befoe). She had always thought he preferred experienced women, but tastes do change over the years. He had been into guys for a little while too, but no way he'd be part of a sassage party now. Virginity was something a lot of men found attractive.<br>' Tits and ass, sweetheart. Marshall likes his girls curvier than a backcountry road. In that sense, I can see where he's coming from when he-' Femme suddenly remembered she was supposed to be pretending that Marshall _wasn't_ interested in Fionna, and that she had work to do in order to get his attention. If she knew she already had it, then the gig would be up, and Femme couldn't meddle at all. Boo. She was bored, and this was a ready source of entertainment. No sense in letting it go to waste.  
>' When he...'<br>' Uh, when he says that the girls around here aren't as voluptuous as the ones down town.'Fionna's face fell slightly. She had thought that maybe Marshall had said something about her to Femme regarding her figure ( she would've preferred it was regarding her personality, but this was Marshall. That was a pipe dream). Because Femme had just told her he probably liked her hair. But if he hadn't even mentioned that to her, then he probably hadn't said anything at all. Femme was right, she did have a lot to do before she secured his attention seriously. She needed to show him she couldn't be played around with, like he had been doing the past few days. Nu-uh. My way or the high way, boy.

' I mean, you have the goods. You're definitely his type, looks-wise at least. But your little shirt and skirt combo doesn't do your figure any favours. Covers up all your best assests.' Femme said. Fionna felt her get up off the bed behind her, then reached around to touch the back of her head. Femme had woven her hair into a long, thick braid, and Fionna pulled it around and looked at it with some surprise.  
>' Why'd you do this?'<br>' You should get used to wearing your hair like that, so it's visible outside your hat. It'll look nice, and it's still out of your way.' Fionna tugged her bunny hat on, leaving the braid poking out the bottom. It wasn't that big a change. She could get used to it.  
>' Um, okay..' Femme stood in front of her for a moment and closed one eye, tipping her head to the side thoughtfully. Fionna blushed and scratched her nose awkwardly, uncomfortable underneath Femme's analytical gaze.<br>' Yeah, look there's something I need to tell you. Marshall ditched yesterday, he's gone to see his mother.'  
>' What!?' Fionna cried, jumping up slightly. Femme raised her hands soothingly.<br>' Calm down, calm down. This is good. Means that you and I have got time to make you a force to be reckoned with without him knowing until you're settled in and got it down pat, yeah girl?' Fionna's mouth twisted to the side unhappily but she nodded as she plopped back down onto the bed. That kind of made sense. But she had wanted Marshall to be around when she knew what to do, so that she could throw a hissy fit at how much of a dick he was, while being sexy at the same time, hopefully confusing him as much as he had been her. Pay back's a real bitch. A hot one.  
>' Okay.'<br>' Yeah. And I think I'll work on the package before I work on the contents. 'Cause really, I don't know _you_ well enough to figure out what Marshall likes about you.'  
>' Wait, he likes me?'<br>' Well yeah, he wouldn't hang out with you at all if he didn't. And you said he snuck into your bed, right? Doesn't sound like something that would happen with someone he wasn't at least a little interested in.' Femme had to resist reaching over to pinch her cheek at the childish excitement that immediately lit up the adventuress's face. So _cute_.  
>' But you know, I can tell you don't just want a roll in the sack. Hell, if you do it with him it'll be your first time, won't it? And getting more than that out of him is what you need my help for, doll.' Fionna gave a a curt determined nod, her sense of adventure welling up inside her. She had made a new friend, and they were going to embark on an adventure together (even if it was a little less physical than hers typically were). Even if she had no clue what may happen over the next few days, she at least new it was going to be fun.<br>' So where do we start?' She questioned eagerly, and Femme flashed a brief smile, before turning around and flinging open the doors of her wardrobe.

**Author's note: Heeeeey, guess what? I'm already like, halfway through the next chapter! This just need a lot of polishing, but the next piece of unrefined story telling is currently being hacked from the crazy mine that is my head. No telling when it'll be cut and set and ready to be presented to your beloved, but hopefully it won't be too long ;) Seeing as Mar and Fionna aren't in the same place anymore, for the most part I'll devote roughly half a chapter to checking up on both of them, except for a couple of key plot points I have planned for both of them where they'll get a whole chapter to themselves, lucky them. Ksenia, the info you've got won't be for maybe two more chappies, so please please please don't rat me out doll!  
>Until next time :3<strong>

**-WRA**


	10. Chapter 10- Everybody Gets New Clothes

It was a sensory overload, focusing on taste and touch. The main sensations were warmth and smoothness and malleability, like if pancakes with butter and syrup had gained sentience and become a beautiful women with shining blonde hair. Marshall felt as if he'd been in here with her for hours, knowing full well it was a dream but beyond caring. He wanted her, needed her so much, and even if this wasn't real it felt real, which was enough. The illusion was only distracted by the scenery around them, which was blurred and formless, simply a pale mass of pastel colours. He had been wearing the clothes he had fallen asleep in when Fionna had first pulled him in here with her, but those had been lost quickly and were nowhere to be seen, proving the dream theory.  
>Doing this allowed him to fufil the desires without any consequence, but somehow the simple fact that he knew it was just a substitute was keeping him from being satisfied. No matter how many times he took her he came back for more, with virtually no break in between, linked together by touching and kissing and tasting.<p>

The first time had been rough and possessive, tearing into the skin of her shoulder with his teeth and marking his territory as he thrust into her jaggedly and she groaned and panted. When he came, the feeling had been so, so much more satisfying than the night before, though that was a subconscious mental note. The demon girl couldn't have been further away from his thoughts as he kissed Fionna hungrily, treasuring the taste he had never had before. He had kissed her lips, but never her mouth in real life, so he knew this was just a mental approximation, what he believed she would taste like. It was indescribable, too complex and flavourful to explain with words.  
>The second, third and fourth rounds had been more gentle, more exploratory and curious, seeing how well he had mapped her out. She was so soft and pliable as he held her, completely at odds with her personality and perhaps at odds with how she would really be. But being here with her, like this, even if it was all in his head was definitely better than denying it and stressing. He a little ashamed of himself but he was tamping it down for the moment. He could deal with it when he woke up.<p>

Marshall gently tugged Fionna onto her back from behind, his hand shifting from being splayed over her breast to sliding down onto her hip and pressing into her skin. Fionna sighed happily and turned over, stretching out beneath him and giving him a genial smile when she saw his face, reaching up and running her fingers from the corners of his mouth down his neck and tracing his collar bones, finally laying her palms on his chest. Marshall straddled her on his knees, sitting on her stomach and leaned over to kiss her, slow and hot rather than rough or fast. She purred appreciatively as he sucked on her bottom lip and ran his fangs over the inside, his fingers going into her hair and stroking the silky strands as they fanned out behind her head. In some ways she was behaving like a cat, pressing into his hands where he touched her and twisting her body until he was where she wanted him to be. She reacted to him so well, rebounded against him in ways that he didn't expect but were always, well... enjoyable.

He made a low thrumming noise in the top of his throat when she pushed her hands around on to his back, and rubbed down his shoulders to the base of his spine then up again. He rolled his shoulders, making the muscles flex beneath her fingers and growled appreciatively when Fionna's fingers pushed in and massaged delicately.  
>Fionna sighed and bit his lower lip, which made him grin as he broke away from her mouth and started to thoroughly violate her neck in payback. She moaned and arched up onto him, the sounds and sensations starting to arouse him again. Marshall bucked against her with a growing sense of urgency, moving his pelvis down until their hips met and grinding them together. Fionna's knee came up underneath him and he elevated his body as she pulled her legs out from under him and spread them wide, placing one of her heels just above his butt and exerting a subtle pressure to tell him to get on with it.<br>He was more than happy to oblige, groaning in pleasure as he sheathed himself inside her and she shook and gasped, an instant flash of heat warming her body in a matter of seconds and bringing with it a sheen of sweat on her skin. He paused for a second, deep inside her and traced the tendons in her neck with his upper lip, inhaling the scent of her skin and lightly brushing his tongue over her pulse. He could bite her. Take her in more ways then one. But he was distracted when Fionna's thighs clenched and she folded her legs across his ass and placed one hand on his shoulder.  
>' You okay, baby?' He murmured smoothly, his voice low and rich. Fionna didn't answer for a few seconds, mewling slightly when he licked up the side of her jaw and closed his teeth over her ear, careful not to break the skin.<br>'Marshall... please...' She breathed, her hand sliding over his skin and holding him closer to her. She sounded so fuckin' _sexy _when she said his name like that.  
>Marshall-lee rocked back and forth slowly, savouring how she felt and how he could feel her flexing and shifting beneath him so that they moved together, like a well-oiled machine, perfectly in sync. He didn't need speed to make her cum, only force and he was watching her face when her eyes fluttered closed and she released a high pitched series of moans, her mouth open in a small, perfect red circle. Her finger nails clenched in his back and she pressed herself against him , murmuring his name against his shoulder. Hearing her say that made his breathing accelerate and he sped up slightly, making Fionna squeak and her heart rate jump as his movement caused her to shift up and down slightly on the surface, although the sheen of sweat kept her stuck in place. Marshall groped her breast with one hand and kissed her needily, his tongue pushing into her mouth and coaxing her own into a deliciously imprecise dance while their lower torsos slid past each other in an unceasing rhythm. Their bodies together were like liquid, flowing and wet but also pushing and ricocheting off each other, still two different people but the line between them a little blurred.<br>His climax was heavy and powerful rather than fast or urgent, and he bit down on his lip and groaned loudly between his teeth to stop himself from cussing when he came inside her.  
>Fionna ran her hands down his locked elbows as he kept his weight off her, his eyes closed and sweat beads forming on his forehead as he panted heavily. She kissed the corner of his mouth and Marshall-lee turned his head slightly at the contact, searching. Fionna kept her mouth closed and chaste but soft as she pressed their lips together one last time.<p>

When Marshall opened his eyes again, he was looking at the roof of his room, a Cheap Trick poster with a torn corner taped to the plaster. He could swear he could still feel that last kiss on his mouth, but when he flicked his tongue out and wetted the dry skin the echo disappeared.  
>He propped himself up on his elbows in the bed and pushed his fingers through his hair, unsurprised to find the locks sweaty and stuck to his forehead. The condition of his jeans probably didn't bear thinking about, as they were now stained with several of the fluids that his body could produce, seeing as they had gotten blood on them when Femme had cut him up earlier and he could feel a film of sweat going stale across his skin and coldly dampening his clothing. He slowly shifted his legs off the bed and onto the floor, wincing at how sensitive and sticky his crotch felt, then again as the shame he had been repressing suddenly broke through his mental dam and flooded his entire being. It didn't help that he suddenly became aware that he was starving, and his gut made a loud whiny cry for sustenance and began to hurt.<p>

...  
>What. The. Fuck.<br>He had just done her five fucking times in his head.  
>That was beyond attraction, that was beyond obsession, that was fucking insanity. Or vice versa, rather. She was literally driving him sex-crazy.<br>He hadn't had a wet dream since he was like, fifty, and even then, it had never been more than once, and the same girl rarely showed up. The insatiable need he had to claim her was consuming him, taking over or interrupting every other need he had. He couldn't sleep without dream-fucking her. He had barely eaten, his appetite waning and his attention so occupied he wasn't even going into frenzy mode (his stomach growled again angrily, protesting this idea). He plain just couldn't think without that afternoon and the night that followed barging in like a fucking medieval raid and storming the proverbial castle of his mind.  
>This couldn't just be attraction run rampant. He had never lost control of himself like this before, at least not sexually (blood lust was a vampire thing, you got used to it). He liked being the one that threw out the frustrating, knowing wink, that pulled the strings and watched what happened in amusement (in that way, he and Gumball were similar, only Candyballs didn't do it for fun). But somehow he had become the marionette, tugged around and made to dance a mortifying dance. But why? What possible reason could there be for making him so... Fuck euphemisms, so bloody<em> horny<em>? He was a piping hot mess, but it all boiled down to one inescapable fact:  
>He had a gobdamned nuclear-strength thing for Fionna.<p>

Marshall seethed quietly as he ghosted invisibly through the hallways to the bathroom, convincing himself that this couldn't be his fault, that it wasn't him and he wasn't like this. Cause he wasn't. He wouldn't choose this or let it happen. It was too much fuckin' work to like just one girl when there were so so many who could give him what he needed in the sheets without the emotional support/baggage that came with relationships. He didn't need that he did fine on his own. He wasn't _afraid_ of falling in love persay, he just didn't see the point if he didn't _need_ it. Too much effort.  
>Which was why this sudden, desperate attraction to a sixteen year old tomboy was creeping him the fuck out.<p>

There just had to be some sort of explanation beyond a freaky-intense round of love (or rather fuck) at first sight. Sure, he liked her, quite a lot. She was fun to be around, and he didn't have to act out or in in order to make her accept who he was. She knew how he was when he wasn't being anything, and she didn't mind that guy, apparently. He appreciated that.  
>Yes, he had always thought she was hot, or rather he had started to when she had filled out around about her fifteenth birthday. That was when her curves had started to show through her cutesy little outfit, and he had begun to appreciate the view when she was running around doing all her athletic, flexible adventure stuff.<br>But this wasn't even ballpark to those emotions anymore. This feeling was much, much stronger than that. Almost... _instinctual_, up there with eating and sleeping (breathing would've been on that list if he still needed to). He needed food, he needed rest, he needed sex with Fionna. Knowing that he _needed_ it, not just wanted it was what was making him so scared. It wasn't something he could just stop or change.  
>If this was what actual love was like, then fuck... Disney needed a memo so it could warn people about this shit. There was nothing remotely romantic about how much he wanted to bone her. He'd bet his left testicle that Snow White's prince had never wanted to do her so bad he would've jumped her without bothering with the true love's kiss first.<p>

Marshall slipped quietly into the bathroom (really, the only thing that could've given him away would've been his scent) and locked the door once he was inside. It wouldn't actually stop anyone from coming in if they really wanted to, but it let people know he didn't want anyone fucking with him at the moment. He paused for a moment, fingers in his hair again- that was becoming a nervous tic, he needed to stop doing it- before turning on the shower and tugging his shirt over his head.  
>This couldn't be love, it was too lusty to be something that had a reputation for being so y'know, pure and selfless and all that. Lust was a selfish feeling, and it had a yin-yang dynamic with all the cutesy heart stuff. A dynamic that was completely off balance here, knowing that even though it would probably kill her, he still wanted to rail her so hard. He couldn't help it.<br>No, this couldn't be love. It couldn't be.

Fuck, the zipper on his jeans was stuck.  
>You'd think with all that...<br>Ugghh.

* * *

><p>'Fionna, would you be a dear and get my catn- Fionna?' Cake yawned sleepily, stretching down the ladder into the living room and finding it empty. Beemo was sitting in a corner playing with a pair of sock puppets and a button, throwing Cake a reproachful look when the cat looked her way.<br>'Beemo, do you know where Fionna is?' She asked anyway. Beemo turned around and loudly made the sock puppets converse, giving a clear and rather rude gesture to the calico, who simply rolled her eyes, used to dealing with the contrary console.  
>Fionna was a big girl, so it wasn't like Cake minded if she decided to go off by herself. But she did like to know when it happened and where she was off to. It gave her a rough idea of whether she should bother checking up on her or not.<br>But she was in the mood for some catnip and eggs, so Fionna was just missing out, and she could take care of herself. Her loss.

' But... It makes me feel all exposed!' Fionna whined, two bright pink circles adorning her cheeks where they had been glowing in moderation all morning. She had her arms crossed over her chest, covering the rather ample cleavage displayed by the short leather bustier Femme had put her in.  
>After rifling through her wardrobe and picking the few items that Femme felt had some potential, she had dragged Fionna back to Marshall's house and promptly ignored his only ground rule, rifling through his attic for old girlfriends' clothing. She had turned out to be a dab hand at sewing, and had patchworked the bustier together from a pair of leather trousers that Fionna couldn't pull over her ass, and laced together the front with the ribbon edging of a poofy skirt. Femme had then cut several inches off of said skirt and used it to create a petticoat for an old navy blue pleated skirt of Fionna's that she never wore anymore because it literally barely covered her butt, and it still didn't, even with the petticoat. Femme had then given her a pair of black suspenders to 'keep the skirt in place' (keep Fionna from pulling it down).<br>' Good! That's what it's supposed to do, show you off to him, let him see what he's missing out on.' Fionna pouted and tugged on the back of the skirt, intensely aware of the fact that every step she took would flick up the back just enough that you almost, _almost_ got a glimpse of her underwear. It was only that long.  
>' At least let me wear some shorts or something underneath this skirt!' She complained to Femme's denim coated backside, wiggling around as she rooted through some boxes.<br>' Oh, no way.'  
>' What d'ya mean-'<br>' No no, shut up, not talking to you. Look what I found!' Femme said gleefully, waving Fionna over to her. Fionna, grumbling internally, walked over to her and squinted over her shoulder into the box. There appeared to be a couple pairs of handcuffs, several long lengths of silky rope as well as cableties, a couple of small opaque black bottles, and several items Fionna didn't recognise. Femme was chuckling to herself quietly, but before Fionna could ask what was so funny, she shoved all of the stuff to the side and triumphantly pulled out a pair of black leather gloves and a pair of garter straps with lace on the sides.  
>' These gloves'll just look cool, plus I'm betting since Marshall has this stuff boxed up he ain't used it in a while, so he won't recognise it but he'll still associate it with sex.' Fionna frowned then looked back into the box.<br>' Wait, that stuff is for sex?'  
>' All of it. If you're lucky, this won't be the last time you see it, honey.' Fionna eyed the box with some apprehension, before putting the gloves on. The leather was soft and it had a faux zipper embellishment on the arm which made her feel strangely rebellious.<br>' Hey, gimme your sewing scissors.' Fionna said, taking the gloves back off. Femme raised an eyebrow but handed them over, and made a little noise in comprehension when Fionna snipped the tips off of all the fingers of the gloves.  
>' That way I can still do stuff while I wear them, but these'll also protect my hands. I actually like these.' She said appreciatively, flexing her fingers. Femme smirked smugly. She was coming around.<br>'Okay, now clip these to the top of your socks.' Femme said, giving her the garter straps. Fionna laughed out loud when she realised the clips were shaped like tiny rabbits wearing bowties.  
>' Dude, these are so perfect for me. Look, little rabbits!' She gushed enthusiastically, clipping them on. Femme put a hand on her chest for a moment, touched by how gobdamn precious the teenage girl in front of her was, before getting back to business.<br>' Then attach the clips on the top to the edge of your undies.' Fionna blinked at her, blushing harder again.  
>' B-but why? My socks stay up just fine.'<br>' Because it looks hot, Fionna. Trust me, I know how guys think, they like this. And I mean, we just found these in Marshall's personal kinkstash. He is going to be into it, one hundred percent.' Fionna mumbled snarkily under her breath, tugging on the staps but soon discovered that even though they were elasticated, they wouldn't reach.  
>' They're not long enough.' Femme frowned unhappily, then sighed.<br>' Hah. Okay fine, you get your wish. Put on some bike shorts under the skirt and clip 'em to that.' Fionna collapsed with relief internally, picking up the bike shorts Femme had taken from her wardrobe and putting them on beneath the ridiculously short skirt then clipping up the garter straps.

After that, she stood in front of Femme for a moment, letting the older woman assess her visually in the same manner she had been the entire morning.  
>' Hmm. Missing something. Try on my boots while I go get a thing.' Femme said, quickly pulling off her suede grey boots and handing them to Fionna, then turning into a cat and scampering away. Fionna shrugged and sat down on the edge of a box. She pulled on the shoes, surprised at how well the fit her, and wiggled her toes. The boots had a hard, dark silvery toecap, and Fionna grinned when she pictured how much pain she could bring if she kicked a bad guy with these.<br>Femme returned a moment later, something denim in her mouth. Fionna watched as she turned back into a person and showed Fionna a denim jacket. The adventuress reach for it, but Femme held it away from her then promptly tore off the sleeves and passed it to her. Fionna raised an eyebrow but said nothing, noting that the jacket had a hood on the back.

She put it on then stood up in Femme's boots, pleased that they had a flat bottom instead of high heels.  
>Femme looked her over again, then nodded shortly.<br>' Yeah, I like that. Not too complex, but there's plenty too look at, and just enough kink that he'll have all sorts of dirty scenarios going on when he looks at you. Perfect. I won't bother with make-up, you'd probably sweat it all off anyways, and you're pretty enough without it.' Fionna ignored Femme's monologuing, instead patting at her chest (she wasn't worried about her behind anymore, it was covered).  
>' I still don't like this top. It doesn't even cover my stomach, I could get stabbed so easy, and my boobs feel like they'll fall out any second.'<br>' Good. That means it's exactly low enough. And you may have noticed that at least I've dressed you in stuff you can still run around in, 'cause you said that's kind of your thing.'  
>' Well, it is.'<br>' And I took note of that.' Fionna twisted her mouth to the side and decided to let it go. She would get used to the precarious top, and it wasn't like she'd have to wear this all the time.  
>' Well, what do I tell Cake when I come home like this?'<br>' Just do up the hoodie and say you're trying out a new style. She's you're older sister, not your mom. She should be cool with it.' Fionna laughed once.  
>' Uhm, you don't know my sister, she practically is my mom now. Though, she has been getting better recently.' Femme shrugged, walking out of the attic and gesturing for Fionna to follow her.<br>' Even so. A little teenage rebellion is only healthy Fionna, she should be expecting it.' Fionna thought about this for a moment then aquiesced. She was sixteen, she was old enough to make her own decisions, especially around boys. And Cake had agreed with that whether she liked it or not by giving her the book, she had all the information, and it's not like Cake could expect her not to go out and... investigate. That's just what she did with anything new. So If she didn't like the fact that Fionna was going to try something a little different, well she could go get stoned on some catnip. Not her problem.

' So now what?' She asked after she had jumped down the ladder. The skirt picked up the air and fluffed up around her hips, making her pause for a moment and smooth it down.  
>' Now... I think you should take me on an adventure.' Femme replied, turning into a wolf and giving Fionna a rather unsettling grin. She was unfazed though, desensitized because of Marshall's many and varied 'scary' faces.<br>' Really? Why?'  
>' <em>Because<em>, Fionna. I still don't know all that much about you, so I have no idea what exactly about you makes Marshall like you. Or what about you makes you like him as more than just bed fodder. Not that you could like someone like that anyways, seeing as you're totally inexperienced.' Fionna was getting fed up with Femme's constant insulting (even if it was correct) comments on her lack of experience and decided to give her what for. Femme noted with surprise the pose Fionna unconsciously adopted, sticking out her hip and tilting her head to the side in an obviously confrontational but also undeniably sassy manner.  
>' I'm not totally inexperienced, thank you very much. Just 'cause I've never had sex doesn't mean I didn't do stuff with my last boyfriend.' Femme sighed and turned back into a person, sitting on the arm of Marshall's couch and leaning on her hand with a bored expression.<br>' Did you ever touch his cock?' Fionna blinked at her and blushed violently, taken off guard by her blunt question.  
>' N-no. No! I couldn't anyways, he was the prince of the Fire Kingdom. I mean, just yesterday I could only kiss him because it was raini-' Femme frowned at her and raised a hand, cutting her off.<br>' Wait, wait. I thought you said this was an ex-boyfriend.' Fionna knitted her fingers together and rocked back and forth on her heels, looking down at the ground.  
>' Well yeah, But I hadn't seen him for a year and a half, and I missed him. It was just y'know, for old time's sake. And because I was frustrated about what Marsha- Actually, what he did means that I'm actually more experienced then you give me credit for!' Fionna said triumphantly, folding her arms and grinning smugly at the shapeshifter, who only appeared mildly interested.<br>' Yeah yeah, he tied you up and tore off your clothes. Big whoop.'  
>' That's not all he did.' Femme raised an eyebrow at her, and Fionna suddenly realised that she was bragging about something that she wasn't even sure if she had wanted to happen. At least not as quickly as it had.<p>

' Actually wait, forget I said anything.'  
>' No no, you started, now you have to tell me.' Femme replied, leaning forward with a glint of mischief appearing in her eyes.<br>' Uh...'  
>' Oh come on.' Fionna looked down at the ground again then sat on the floor with an ungainly thump and crossed her legs, holding on to her ankles.<br>' He uhm... He put his mouth on m-my boobs and... lower.' She admitted after a few seconds, becoming more and more anxious as Femme failed to she couldn't take it anymore, she looked up and found Femme in the midst of a silent laughing fit, greatly confusing her.  
>' W-what's so funny?'<br>' No... No wonder you c-called me... a perverted creep! Oh, that's just too funny.' She giggled, shaking her head. Noticing Fionna's complete lack of comprehension, Femme wiped away a faux tear and adopted a business-like manner.  
>' Look honey, what I'm saying is Marshall used to be a lot smoother than that with girls he likes. He'd cajole and coax and court until they were the ones breaking into his bedroom. I never would've guessed he'd meet a girl who he had to have so badly he would jump her without her permission. He's acting completely out of character from the clinically sexy bad-boy attitude he puts up. It's formulaic, measured y'know. Something about you has made him throw that shit out a second story window, you're messing with his judgement. He's always been impulsive, but I don't think he's ever been this risky with his feelings for the sake of poontang.' Femme mused out loud, before looking down at Fionna and winking conspiratorially.<br>' I think you an' me might not have as much work to do as I thought. Maybe I should just teach you what to do when he's using that box of stuff on ya. I've been around the block, I'll keep you safe, honey.' Fionna blinked at her, still somewhat shocked by the assertion that Marshall wasn't just being a horny bastard or an ass. That he might actually find her sexy already, and he wasn't playing with her for the sake of it.  
>That he might like her back, really truly.<p>

**Author's note: Y'know, I was actually intending to make this chapter another two thousand words long, flashing abck to Marshall 'cause some big stuff is about to happen with him, but then I realised that that would make this single chapter almost as long as one of of my oneshots, and I thought hmm, Naaah. This is a good place to end it. I have drawn up What Fionna's new outfit looks like, and I really like it. Once I've coloured it I'll upload it too my Deviantart and put a link in the bottom of the next chapter. I might also draw up Femme, just so you guys can see what she looks like. Gumball will be making an appearance soon too, because as I've hinted, he and femme have history and I wanna play around with it. So, obviously I've already got two thousand words worth of the next chapter, so you guy shouldn't be waiting too long, but like I said, big stuff is gonna happen So it may take a while for me to get it juuuust right. Nothing but the best for you lovelies ;3**

**-WRA**


	11. Chapter 11- Marshall Gets 'The Talk'

'Holy shit...' Marshall muttered under his breath, shaking his wet hair out of his eyes for the umpteeth time as he glared into his wardrobe in disbelief. There were only a couple of random items of clothing inside the closet, and none of the ones he needed.  
>Fairly predictably, his jockey shorts were unsalvageable and the jeans were kind of gross, so he had hung them over the door of the shower and washed them in true bachelor fashion, soaking them after he'd cleaned himself then wringing out the disgustingly grey residue that resulted down the drain (the shorts were shoved in a bag and binned without ceremony)(only shame). They wouldn't be dry again for a couple hours, and even though he had brought clothes in his duffel bag, he didn't know whether they'd be the kind he would willingly wear in front of his mother. She was picky and didn't approve of his rather grungy, torn up style compared to her no-loose-threads precision, and having her pick apart his aesthetic choices was not a lecture he wished to endure again. Honestly, he didn't even remember what he had brought with him. It had been a snap decision, as many desperate measures are.<br>The vampire went to pick up the bag from the floor where he had kicked it at some point over the morning, catching sight of his reflection on a small square-ish mirror on his desk-  
>Wait.<br>_His reflection!?_

Marshall dropped the bag on the ground and nearly tripped over it in his haste to grab the piece of polished glass propped up on a plain and unadorned silver stand. Raising it in front of his face, he grabbed his chin with his other hand and turned his face every which way, blinking at himself in shock. The reflection was transparent, and nearly invisible when he remained still, but movement brought out his features. It wasn't a trick of the light, he was seeing himself for the first time in-  
>Well, the first time in forever.<br>What the _fuck?_

He sat down on his bed and continued to watch the black-haired youth in the mirror with an odd sense of detachment. He knew what he looked like because he still turned up on photos and things (and he knew that he was good-looking, his track record was evidence of that), but this was different. The guy in the photo never made eye contact. Managing to stop himself from distrustfully eyeing the dude glaring back at him, Marshall turned his head and traced the lines of his jaw, still entirely weirded out that he could even do this. He had literally never seen his reflection before. His fangs were longer than he had thought they were, reaching the bottom of his lower lip instead of the points sitting in the middle.  
>He raised a hand to press his fingers along the jawbone, then yelped in surprise when the movement brought a shock of stinging pain along his neck. Marshall-lee lowered the mirror and realised that he had grazed one of his bitemarks with the nail on his little finger, and for some reaso- Whoa.<br>They were bright, bright red, the colour of a fresh wound instead of one that was over a thousand years old. The areas of normal skin surrounding the scar tissue also looked red and sore, and Marshall winced when he prodded them experimentally and was met with a sensation similar to an itchy scab being scratched. It felt good somehow, but it still hurt.

Well, that was new. The irritation there could be a side effect from how much physical stress he had just put himself through with his dream-fuckathon, though that had never happened after sex before, or after jerking off. At least he had never noticed it. If it was a regular thing, someone probably would've commented on it after centuries of sexual activity.  
>Something was going on here. Something that was more than unbridled lust, further discounting the notion that he was falling in love. Pfft, as if. Course he wasn't, that wouldn't happen without him noticing, and he sure as hell didn't think it would feel like this. No, this was beyond him and his control, an outside force. Something, or someone had done this to him.<br>Though that made the entire point of it even more murky. There was no fucking _reason_ that would happen.  
>Maybe he was just going crazy. That would explain fucking everything, including the reflection. Watch out everyone, Marshall-lee's more cuckoo than fucking Simone. He just can't freaking help himself when it comes to fucking sixteen-year-olds in stupid little bunny hats with the most fucking gorgeous ass you ever did see.<br>Fuck's sake.  
>Fuck, fuck, fuck.<br>Marshall sighed and put the mirror back on his desk, unwilling to watch himself- if that really was him and not just a trick of his hormone-addled mind- scowl any more, then picked up the bag from the ground and dumped it on the bed next to him.

' Is the Queen occupied?' Marshall questioned emotionlessly to one of the guards standing outside the large, threatening black doors to his mother's throne room/ office. He had eventually chucked on a pair of black jeans and a red plaid button-up shirt. If she didn't think he was dressed to impressed, that was her fucking problem, and she'd be totally right because he wasn't. He was too busy stewing to care how he presented himself to her, and she could just get over that shit. The only reason he was even bothering to see her was so she actually knew he was home and wouldn't kick up a fuss if she found out through a third party. The gargoyle adjusted his breast plate and stood up a little straighter upon being addressed.  
>' I believe she may be-'<br>' Look pal, I don't care. Tell her her son is here to see her.' Marshall cut him off, folding his arms. The guard looked him over and raised an eyebrow, annoying the vampire with the questioning look, then conceded, bowing low.  
>' Yes, Mr. Abadeer. Would you like me to inform her that you have news?' Marshall frowned at him and shook his head in exasperation. What news? He never said he had anything of the sort. Or maybe he had and he just didn't remember because he was so clearly bonkers.<br>For the sake of Glob's left testicle. _Grr._  
>' As you wish.' The guard replied, before slipping through the doors. Marshall landed on the ground and relaxed his pose, scratching the back of his head and huffing out a disgruntled sigh. The other guard was looking at him out of the corner of his eye, Marshall could tell and it pissed him off. He wasn't a zoo attraction.<br>' Take a picture, it'll last longer.' He snarked, letting the guard know he had been caught. The guard- this one apparently humanoid, unlike his superior- blushed and looked away sheepishly.  
>' S-sorry, it's just I know how it feels, uh Sir. I was so scared of telling my mum after my cycle completed and I had got my stepdad's daught-' The guard was cut off by the other returning, ducking through the door and throwing the younger one a look that made it clear he was not supposed to be talking.<br>' The Queen will see you, Marshall-lee.' He intoned ominously. Marshall was almost about to protest so that he could ask the humanoid guard what the hell he was talking about, but before he could, his mother's voice rang out through the door.  
>' Marshall-lee?' She called, both a question and a request. Marshall shot one last look at the humanoid guard, who gave him a thumbs up before cringing back to a neutral position at another scathing glance from the gargoyle, then floated through the door.<p>

The throne room was large but narrow, a high ceiling making up for the lack of horizontal space much like the rest of the castle. There was a a heavy, rich looking red carpet stretching along the polished obsidian floor and up a flight of four steps that raised the other end of the room just enough that you felt small when you approached it. Black and red striped brocade curtain hung from the roof and were gathered by large golden ropes at the sides, framing a grand ornate armchair sitting at the top of the stairs.  
>Marshall was unimpressed. His mother was so fuckin' flashy. And coming from his theatrical self, that was saying something.<br>She was sitting in the chair with her knees crossed, vicious looking stilettos on her feet with blood red soles visible from his lowered elevation. Same old pin-striped skirt suit, hair scraped back into a bun with a few lonely curls hanging around her pointed ears, and judgmental red eyes which narrowed as soon as they focused on him.  
>She hadn't changed at all.<p>

Marshall stopped just inside the door and let her look at him, waiting until she gave him permission to approach her. Even if he didn't come home regularly, he had been very well trained when she had forced him to live here. It was preferable to hours long yelling matches that occasionally turned into physical fights which his mother won unfairly with her limitless succubus magic. Bitch.  
>Yeah, they had reconciled, and she was his mom and he loved her, but he still didn't like her. You can love someone but not like them.<br>He didn't like her.  
>But she mattered to him. Family was a rather quaint notion for him, and one he would never rely on, but it was still a pretty strong connection to have to somebody.<br>Even if they were a psychopathic power hungry bitch. No wonder she had liked Ashley.

'Honey, come here.' Harelda said, a slight quaver in her voice and a funny intonation in her words. Marshall looked up from the ground and blinked at her, shocked. Did she- did she just call him honey? What? Since when had she ever called him anything but Marshall-lee? He didn't mind people skipping the lee out if they couldn't be fucked with it, he gave people nicknames becuase it was usually faster than saying their normal name. But his mother was always professional and formal, she had never used an endearment with him before (at least not after the mushroom war, she had called him Marshmallow when he was a baby. She had been different then).  
>Slightly suspicious, Marshall floated cautiously up to the foot of the stairs as his mother stood up and dusted off her skirt with a few quick flicks of her perfectly manicured hands. She clicked smartly down the stairs and stood elevated one step in front of him, keeping her eyes level with him. Marshall met her sharply analytical gaze for a few moment, keeping his expression completely neutral. Hi mom, how's it going. Nice to see there are some constants in this insane fucking world.<br>' Hey mom, I'm ho-' Before he could finish his sentence, his mother grabbed his shoulders and crushed his arms tightly around him, beginning to sob into the side of his neck.  
>The thing about constants?<br>He took that back.

' Oh, my darling little monster's all grown up! Marshmallow, I'm so proud of you, I didn't know if you would make it this far but look at you!' She gushed euphorically, clutching him so firmly it almost hurt. If he still needed to, he would've complained about not being able to breath.  
>' W-what?' He stammered, his voice cracking with the shock of it all. Who was this affectionate blubbering woman and what had she done with the business-focused harpy he was used to?<br>' You must tell me who she is- I hope it's a girl you're familiar with, and not a brand new relationship because that would be a lot of work for the poor dear otherwise- and whether you're trying for a baby. Though I won't be upset if you've decided not to, it's only your first cycle and I can wait for darling little grandbabies for a couple more decades yet I suppose. Oh Marshall-lee, my little boy! You're not my baby blood-sucker anymore!' Harelda teared up again and reattached herself to the frozen teenager.  
>Something inside Marshall had broken on the word 'baby' and it had taken the rest of her sentence for him to find his way back into the controls. He pushed her off of him and looked at her very seriously, holding on to the top of her arms. Harelda looked vaguely surprised but also curious.<p>

' Mom, I have no idea what you're talking about, and you're scaring the shit out of me.' He pronounced clearly, his voice much more even than his emotions and his eyes so wide around his slit pupils it looked like his irises were being swallowed by a milky sea.  
>What the fuck was everbody talking about? He was now realising that he hadn't been going crazy, he had been <em>kept out of the loop<em>. Something was going on, and everyone knew exactly what it was but him. The knowledge that he wasn't insane placated him somewhat, but the alternative explanation, given that his mother was talking about fucking grandchildren, probably wasn't going to let him stay that way for longer.  
>' You- Marshall, you're not here to tell me...' Harelda trailed off, scanning his face analytically for a few moments before her face hardened again and she suddenly adopted a business-like air that Marshall was much more familiar with and sadly, much more comfortable with. His mother being affectionate was just too weird.<p>

' Okay. Okay. I hadn't realised you and I hadn't had this talk. I thought that- Well, I assumed that you would've found out on your own by now considering you were so fiercely independent Marshall-lee, but as your parent it's my job to let you know these things. Come to my office.' She told him, straightening out her jacket and then turning on her heel and walking back up the staircase. Marshall followed her after a beat, a sense of apprehension dropping into the pit of his stomach that was almost- _almost_- more distracting than Fionna. You would've thought he had had enough of her for at least a day, and sexually he had (Well, he thought so. Maybe. The very fact he was unsure was ridiculous- five fucking times- but he had gotten over it. Desensitized, y'know), but now he was wondering what she was doing, what she was thinking, who she was with and where she was gonna run off to today.  
>Somehow his mother knew that, knew that a ladyfriend was driving him to distraction, but how the fuck could she know that? And what the hell did it have to do with babies?<p>

Harelda's office was a similar size to Marshall's bedroom, the rectangular floor space maybe slightly longer but not much different. It was also much darker than the preceding room, lit only by a large roaring fire inside a marble fireplace in the back wall. There was a black tiger with red stripes- a living one, not a rug- sleeping peacefully in front of it.  
>Marshall mother sat down behind a mahogany desk in a swivel chair with a large burgundy velvet back. She gestured for him to sit on the opposite side, in a decidedly less expansive seat.<br>' You look hungry, have you eaten since you came home?' Marshall shrugged. He had drank all the red out of a curtain on his way to the bathroom because he had nearly fainted due to sheer hunger, but even after that he was still starving. _That_ was a typical physiological reaction after fucking/wanking, not whatever was going on with his neck- wait, was that somehow involved with whatever the fuck was going on with him? Was that how everyone could _tell_?  
>Harelda's left arm turned into a tentacle and it whipped across the room and over to the door, yanking it open forcefully. It returned from its trip a few seconds later, holding a large wine glass filled with something that was too thick to be alcohol.<br>' Go ahead, I'll talk while you eat.' She told him, not so much giving him permission as commanding him to drink it. Marshall took it silently, slightly disappointed by how unaffected he was by the taste of blood. This stuff used to be the shit, though scarcity made it hard to come across and animal blood wasn't nearly as addictive as a sentient creature's blood was. He couldn't really be bothered with procuring it. Too much hard work.

' So.. Look, Marshall-lee, sometimes when a woman and a man love each other very much-' Marshall choked on the blood but managed not to spit it out.  
>' Stop right there. You're not giving me the sex talk.' He coughed out, shooting her a look somewhere between disgust and fear. Harelda blinked at him as Marshall put the glass down, reasoning that if that's where she had to start then the future of this 'talk' didn't bode well.<br>' I know about all of that, I'm a thousand years old Mom. Jeez.' He stated childishly, folding his arms. Harelda leaned forward on her desk and cupped her chin with one hand.  
>' Well, then what don't you understand?' Marshall felt himself start blushing. Ew. Why gob, fucking <em>why<em> did he have to talk to his mother about this shit? _What the fuck is wrong with you, you twisted bastard?_  
>' I have no intention of having kids anytime soon and I haven't told you I'm dating anyone so what makes you assume I'm with somebody and that I'm gonna be a fuc- Gonna be a father?' Marshall ended, his voice cracking on the last word in a way that he found highly annoying. He didn't even know if he'd ever want kids. Fatherhood was an entirely alien idea to him, seeing as he'd never had much of a father. And also because he was mentally stuck as a young adult, which he personally thought was great, but probably wouldn't make him a great dad.<br>' Well, because when you're imprinted, pregnancy often happens accidentally and the most diplomatic way of asking-' Marshall held up a hand, his eyebrows creasing together.  
>' Imprinted? What the hell is that?' He questioned, and a look of comprehension passed over his mother's face, and she laughed once, shaking her head at him.<p>

' I _see_, I see. So you know all about sex, you just don't know about vampires.' She said, a hint of teasing in her voice. Marshall glared at her, blushing again.  
>' Mom!'<br>' Okay, okay, don't get your fangs all chipped Marshall-lee. I'll explain. Most species reproduce by having kids or by cloning, right?' She said, tenting her fingers together and raising an eyebrow at him questioningly. Marshall picked up the wine glass again- he _was_ hungry- and nodded before taking a drink.  
>' Vampires are unusual in that they can reproduce parasitically, unique to the species. By that, I mean your venom. But a turned vampire, like you, shares no genetic material with the vampire that turned them. The venom burns out of the system once the job is done, it doesn't remain with the victim. Otherwise, I suppose that would've made your dad a 'father' twice over.' She ended rather philosophically. Marshall stayed silent, waiting for her to get to the point.<br>' However, vampires can also have children. I don't know exactly how that works, I just know it's possible and also in some ways preferable for the species for reasons that will become clear in a moment. Vampires are really easy to kill, Marshall-lee. It's an unfortunate fact, but a fact all the same. Sunlight, garlic, holy water, stakes... there's many, many ways you could meet your end. So imagine that a vampire somehow managed to survive for a very long time. Something about them, whether it's in their body or their mind must've helped them survive so long, correct?' Marshall nodded more slowly this time, starting to get a vague idea of where she was going, and not liking it at all.  
>' So it's only natural selection. The vampires who can't make it ostensibly die out without reproducing. Doesn't always work that way, but that's the theory. And those that live long enough- specifically, to around a thousand years old, you're a slightly late bloomer dear- reach <em>technical<em> adulthood. Vampire adulthood, never mind your biological age.' His mother finished, waiting for a moment and letting it sink in.  
>Marshall was right, he didn't like this at all.<br>She had pretty much just told him he'd finished puberty. Vampire puberty.  
>What the living fuck was wrong with the world that that was a thing.<br>_Eww!_

' Okay... got that, but that doesn't explain what the hell being 'imprinted' means.' Marshall pointed out, one side of his mouth twitching up slightly with the ickyness of it all. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable with the topic as such- it happened to everyone, no sense being all hoity-toity 'bout it- but he was uncomfortable talking about it with his mom. Ugh.  
>' It does. Imprinting is I suppose, the equivalent of a bitch going into heat. But it's a little different for creatures as long-lived as you, and sentient, emotional ones at that. Rather than wanting intercourse with every female you see, there will be one particular girl- usually one you've had quite strong feelings for before the cycle begins- who captures your attention and will hold it absolutely. She will be all you want, all the time. Day and night, regardless of how she feels for you, she is the first thing you think of when you wake up and the last thing you see on the back of your eyelids before you fall asleep.'<br>Harelda watched Marshall's face for a moment, studying the way his expression changed.  
>' You understand what I'm talking about, don't you?' Marshall frowned at her, but it wasn't in anger. He looked upset, disconcerted.<br>' Is... How long does it last? Is it permanent?' He eventually asked, chickening out of the question that was really knocking around in his skull. He couldn't bring himself to ask that of his mother.  
>' Not... Usually. I don't think. Marshall-lee, I only know this as your father explained when he imprinted on me. Apparently, it usually comes and goes in cycles, once every quarter century. The sense of all-consuming attachment usually goes away if your imprint becomes pregnant, or if you don't act on the urges for a while. But I believe there's a chance, a small one, but it's still there. However, if that was the case, I wouldn't call it being imprinted anymore.' Marshall looked up and saw that she was daring him to ask. She wanted to see what he would do. He almost didn't, just to spite her, but went against the childish impulse.<br>' What would you call it?' She watched him for a few moments, her index finger on the side of her eye, the iris glowing softly in the firelight.  
>' I'd call it love.'<p>

Marshall could feel himself start to hyperventilate, so he held his breath to help himself calm down. Maybe he didn't need air, but his lungs were still accustomed to the feeling and the sense of deprivation was still there which gave him something else to focus on.  
>He had convinced himself that he wasn't falling in love, that this wasn't the way it would feel. And he might have been right. Might have being the fucking operative here. Being able to tell had suddenly become a lot more complicated, because as far as he could pick up, he wouldn't know whether this feeling was just his nature or something more until well... Until he had sex with her. Until he fucking got Fionna pregnant.<br>That was not going to happen.

' How long until it goes away on it's own?' He spat out hard and fast, never even considering the alternative. His mother sat up slightly straighter and her eyes narrowed.  
>' Four to six months. Marshall-lee, do you mean to say that you've imprinted on a girl you're not involved with?'<br>Marshall hadn't heard the last part of her sentence, his mind turning into a panic of white noise as he tried to understand just how much he'd have to suffer for half a year in order not to rape/kill/ruin his friendship with/impregnate Fionna. The frustration. The distraction. The fucking laundry. Not to mention he'd have to completely cut her out of his life to keep her safe from him, and him safe from her. Her world moved so quickly compared to his that after half a year, there was no telling whether she'd even still consider him a friend.  
>The whole fucking <em>point<em> behind why he hadn't climbed into Rapunzel's proverbial castle and made off with her already was because he wanted to stay friends with her. She was great fun, as a person she was just somebody he liked to be around, and people he actually felt that way about were few and far between. Beside that, his affection was usually fairly ambiguous, and subject to change quite easily depending how well he knew someone. He never knew whether he'd like what lay beneath the surface.  
>But his feelings towards her had never wavered. He'd been annoyed with her, sure, but there were no parts of her personality that he truly couldn't stand. And further along, staying friends with her meant that in the future he would have a chance to date her if he really wanted to (and was able to make that decision without a biological fucking bias). She was too young now, both mentally and physically to be able to handle what he'd require from her if he was to give in to the imprinting. But if he didn't give in, or at least investigate the possibility of letting it happen, their relationship (he didn't like calling it that. But friendship sounded even more pussy-fied) would probably shrivel up and die.<br>On his left, a rock. On his right, excruciating frustration.

' Marshall-lee!' Marshall snapped out of his head, still completely aghast at the decision he would have to make and looked over at his mother, who seemed vaguely impatient.  
>' Marshall, who is the woman you're imprinted on?' It took him a little while to reply.<br>' She... you... you've met her.'  
>' So she's a girlfriend of yours then?'<br>' No, she's a friend. Just a friend, always has been, she's been far too young for me to ever look at her any other way.' Harelda's stance and tone immediately became disapproving, as she raised a single eyebrow in disdain.  
>' And how old is she now?'<br>' Sixteen.' She tutted at him, and Marshall scowled at her, annoyed at the assumption she was making.  
>' The reason I'm here is 'cause I didn't know about this fu- about imprinting, and I didn't wanna hurt her. And I <em>haven't<em>, by the way. She's just a kid, she wouldn't understand what she was getting herself into.'  
>' Indeed. She must mean a lot to you in order for you to deny yourself for the sake of her wellbeing. No wonder you imprinted on her.' Marshall felt as if he was simultaneously being lectured and psychoanalysed, and he didn't like either happening on their own so the current situation was intolerable.<br>' Like I said, she's my friend.' He spat through gritted teeth, throwing up a challenge if his mother was game to take it. She simply shook her head, rocking back and forth slightly on her chair.  
>' Not anymore, she isn't. She is your mate, Marshall-lee. Hurting her will hurt you too. An imprinting connection is far more than physical. 'Tis in evolution's best interests for the child to have two invested parents.' Harelda sighed, and leaned forward, holding one hand out as if she was weighing something in the air.<br>' If you believe you can tolerate being away from her for the necessary amount of time, then by all means you're welcome to stay home, son. If that is what you believe best for yourself.' The other hand followed, and she alternated the heights.  
>' However, if you care about her that much she probably has no small amount of attachment to you. It takes two. And although it's never said outright in any material I've read, it's heavily implied and I myself have a strong suspicion that imprinting is not necessarily a one-way connection. ' Marshall stared at his mother in surprise as she stood up and habitually dusted off her skirt again- same little flicking motion with her fingertips- then walked around the desk and kissed the top of his head.<br>' Stay here for a few days until you've made up your mind. If you can't survive that, then you'll have to go back. It's up to you, though.' She told him, before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

**Author's note: Ta-da! So now you know that Marshall is not crazy or just a horndog, he has a legitimate problem (problem?) This is my own concept, looking at another angle of the common 'I can't help it it's just my nature' trope that comes up in alot of Fiolee fics. Usually that's dealing with bloodlust but what if the animalistic tendencies applied there overlapped into other aspects of his life? I don't see why not. So tell me, what do you guys think Marshall's gonna do? Stay and go crazy with want or give in and risk ruining their relationship (or so he thinks xD) We'll be checking back up on the blissfully ignorant Fionna next chapter (The imprint has affected her to some degree because they have already had sexual contact. It only kicks in for the partner once they've had sex normally, but Marshall did go down on her so that was enough) and Gumball may be making an appearance soon. R&R guys, I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

**-WRA**


	12. Chapter 12- Rebellion and Revelations

**Author's WARNING: Shit. This chapter is longer than I thought, about six and a half thousand words. Apologies**. **So uh, get comfortable, I suppose?**

'Oh my god, Fionna... How the fuck do you keep this up?' Femme wheezed, spread-eagled on the ground as she watched the adventuress scrabble up a tree, ignoring the branches that were poking into her stomach and scraping along her (much more exposed) skin. The monster they were fighting was a large red scaly dog-like creature with ivory horns and a fluffy orange mane around it's neck. It's rather panicky call sounded like someone had created a bad mashup between a sheep bleating and one of those metal bands Marshall-lee occasionally moodily blared.  
>Fionna ignored the shapeshifter, and positioned herself on a rather springy branch with cat-like agility, testing the bounce before bending her knees tightly and readying herself to leap. Femme watched when she springboarded herself out of the tree and sunk the sword they had retrieved from Marshall's attic (Fionna wasn't ready to go home, still apprehensive about Cake's reaction to her clothes)(the amount of crap in Marshall's attic was impressive, borderline disturbing) into a patch where a scale was missing on its haunch. This was the fifth time Fionna had attempted the maneouver, with the previous attempts resulting in three deep cuts on her extremities and the last one managing to chip off the scale in the spot where she was hanging now.<br>The creature let out a scream in pain and turned to snap at her, frills that had been hidden beneath the mane suddenly flaring out as it hissed. Fionna returned it with a hiss of her own, baring her teeth (which made Femme laugh. She didn't seriously think that was threatening, did she?) then climbed up the scales of the creature's backside and eventually managed to crawl her way up onto its withers with her legs locked over its shoulders. The creature reared and started to buck, bounding frantically across the grasslands and narrowly missing Femme, who rolled casually to the side in order to miss a flailing talon-covered foot. Fionna whooped in exhiliration, gripping tightly on to the mane with one hand and throwing the other that held her sword out behind her as a counterbalance. She hadn't tried to ride a monster in ages, and it was so much fun! Especially when they were as massive as this guy, it was so much harder to hold on, and that only made it even better.

Femme watched the adventuress cavorting around with a small incredulous smile permanently affixed to her face. Beyond her surprise at how much fuckin' _stamina_ this chick had (She could probably wear Marshall down to bones in bed if he let her) She was surprised at how much fun she was. She had seemed like such a little goody-two shoes, so innocent and childlike and accepting of everything she had been told. Naive and trusting. And then, on a complete spontaneous whim, she decides to go and ride a whatever-that-thing-is. Absolutely no thought given to how it would make her look, a sixteen-year-old giggling like a toddler and rolling through the dirt. It only made her look more like a little kid, but Femme couldn't decide whether that was because she was either too dumb to consider that, or smart enough not to care. Perhaps both. Her immature impulsive nature could've born of rebellion against the typical role of the girl as the pretty wall flower. Though that was hardly surprising, given she was more physically competent than almost every man around her.  
>Maybe the reason Femme had been able to influence her so easily up to this point was because she was trusting and naive and ignorant, or maybe it had been because she just couldn't give a crap about how people perceived her, so she'd go along with it just for kicks. The latter option would have raised Femme's opinion on her very much, and the former would've lowered her opinion of a certain absentee vampire. If she was that innocent, then he would be taking advantage of her. He wasn't above doing that, but Femme would hope he was above doing that to somebody he claimed to be in love with.<p>

Femme jumped out of her head a second later when Fionna suddenly thumped to the ground in front of her. She had landed on her feet, and it almost looked like she would retain her balance but then one of her legs locked with the groundshock and she plonked down onto her butt. The pair stared at each other for a second before both burst out laughing.  
>Femme got over it first and watched the animal scampering off into the trees, whimpering indignantly. Fionna had cut off a large chunk of it's mane and held it clenched in one hand, where it actually appeared to be glowing slightly though the bright daylight made it hard to tell.<br>'Well, that was certainly a departure from the norm.' She commented, as Fionna gasped, now doubly out of breath from her exertions and her laughter. The adventuress shook her head, taking a moment as her chest heaved. There was sweat running down her entire body and making her skin glisten. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were flushed bright red and her eyes seemed to shine with happiness. This girl obviously got her kicks from physical activity. She wasn't the thinky sort. Femme could appreciate that, even if she was the opposite.  
>' That... That's just my... everyday. Pretty cool, huh?' She panted, grinning unashamedly as she pinged her suspender straps away from her sweat soaked skin. Femme shrugged, assenting.<br>' Yeah, though all that effort ain't really my style. You're quite the energizer bunny, aren't ya? Heh, I'm gonna call you that from now on. EB.' Fionna raised an eyebrow at her then shook her head, another smile flashing across her face.  
>' Whatever man. I'm just surprised how quickly you gave up on it. Riding him was fun.' Femme giggled, confusing Fionna for a moment before she reviewed her words and blushed.<br>' Tch. Gutter mind.' She tutted at Femme, who stuck her pierced tongue out playfully before pointing at a large gash on the adventuress's leg. It had just missed slicing through the garter strap, but was now bleeding profusely into her white sock.  
>' Does that happen a lot?' She questioned with a slight mocking edge to her tone that Fionna failed to notice. Fionna shrugged, tying the piece of the creature's mane around her thigh.<br>' Yeah. My whole body is basically a muscular callus, but sometimes you find stuff that fixes you right up.' She explained, pulling the mane tighter for a second before letting it fall away and proudly showing off the now smooth, cut free skin of her thigh. Femme blinked at it for a second.

' Whoa. Did you know that would happen?' Fionna took a moment to answer, as she was now tying the slightly bloody piece of hair around her midriff, where true to her pessimistic expectations she had recieved a large and bloody gash over her exposed stomach.  
>' Nope. But I remember reading this old spell book that said if you were bitten by a dog that had gone crazy, putting its hair in the wound would heal you. And that thing looked kinda like a dog, so I had a hunch.' Femme barked out one incredulous laugh as Fionna finally tied the lock of hair around a deep cut in her upper arm and when the strands slithered away, there was barely even a bloodstain left behind.<br>'That's a hell of a hunch to be working off of, EB.'  
>' Yeah maybe so, but I have a lot of those. And if it hadn't worked I would've just gone to the Candy hospital. Though actually, y'know I haven't seen Gumball in a while. C'mon, let's go say hello.' Femme had stiffened at the mention of the Candy Prince, and she remained on the ground as Fionna stood up and dusted off her backside.<br>' Uhm, I'd rather uh, not. Didn't you, um say that you also went into... dungeons sometimes? Show me one of those. That sounds like fun.' She stammered quickly, faking a smile at the adventuress.  
>Fionna raised an eyebrow at her and studied her for about a minute in a very serious manner. Femme could almost see the gears turning in her head as she tried to figure out exactly why she didn't want to see Gumball. Fionna was a fun person and she was pretty, but she wasn't razor sharp. Not dumb either, but her wits were more survival than academic.<br>' Why don't you want to see Gumball? I know he and Marshall had a fallout, but they've made up, sort of. How do you know him?' Fionna finally asked, sitting herself down opposite Femme again rather slowly and watching the shapeshifter expectantly. Femme sighed, and rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.  
>' Gumball managed our band, didn't Marshall tell you that? When he and Marsh fell out, he stopped speaking to all of us. It's just kind of awkward.' She lied smoothly, with just enough reluctance that Fionna fell for it hook, line and sinker. However, it didn't quite get her the reaction she wanted.<br>' But then that's even more reason to go and see him! I mean, he has no beef with you in particular, right? you can go and reminisce about the old days and laugh and be friends again!' Fionna said earnestly, her eyes lit up with optimism. Femme nearly gagged. This girl was so fucking _nice_, she made you want to kick her to the dirt just to teach her a lesson.  
>' Um, no thanks Fionna. I'm pretty sure people change, and I don't know if I'll like whoever Gumball is now.' For once, Femme was actually giving her a watered-down version of the truth, even if it was under false pretenses. The man that Gumball was had been intriguing and fascinating to her. And if that wasn't the same, then she didn't want the memory to be tainted. She wanted to preserve the sanctity of her Mew-mew, in spite of what had happened. He was the only person who had ever captured her attention that way. No-one else could match her intellect but also keep up with her wild child attitude the way he had. And if he couldn't do that anymore, she didn't want to know.<p>

' I'll tell you what I think we should do: Go home and see how you handle explaining all of this-' Femme reached over and twanged one of Fionna's suspenders, who unwilling muttered an 'Ow.' In response- ' to your cat.'  
>' Ugh, no thanks.' Fionna winced, standing up as Femme did so and brushing off the back of her skirt.<br>' I'll race ya.' The shapeshifter quipped, having already anticipated Fionna's intensely competitive nature. The adventuress froze for a few seconds, fighting the immediate urge to childishly sprint off and that hesitation cost her the precious few seconds she needed to gain a headstart as Femme turned into her wolf form again and bounded off across the hills, her tongue hanging out of her mouth and flapping in the wind. Fionna watched her run away, her own mouth agape, then quickly followed suit.

' I got here first, fair and square, honey.'  
>' Fair and square my butt! You're a shapeshifter, if you had run like normal I would've beaten you so hard.'<br>' Y'all'd've just embarrassed yourself, I'm faster than I look.' Fionna blew a derogatory raspberry as she walked up to the front door then stopped, her hand on the doorknob.  
>' Uhm, Cake doesn't know you exist.' She said, turning back around and being met with empty air, at least until Femme took off from the ground in her nightingale form.<br>' Way ahead of you. You should get used to that. I'll be watching from inside somewhere, so good luck coming up with an excuse that doesn't blow my cover!' Femme told her cheerily then flittered off and threw an open window. Cake was sitting in the breakfast booth, listening to some music on what appeared to be a walkman- Cheesus, where the hell had she found that?- so Femme positioned herself up in the roofbeams, perched out of sight but with a good bird's eye view (heh) of the entire room.

Fionna stood outside the door for a good minute trying to come up with a plausible explanation for her attire, and when she thought she had a plan she tentatively went inside, calling out as soon as the door had clicked shut behind her.  
>' Heya, Cake!' She said before she climbed up the ladder, adjusting her backpack on her back ( Femme hadn't protested against it but she hadn't exactly given it a seal of approval either, but the backpack was non-negotiable. She needed it.) and fixing her hair before she popped through the hole in the trunk and out into the living room. Cake was too absorbed in her music to hear her, but she noticed the movement and the abject look of shock on her face the second she saw the adventuress was immediate and obvious.<br>' Babygirl, don't get offended, but what in glob's good name are you wearing?' She asked, pulling the headphone off of her ears and pausing the walkman, but not before Fionna recognised the faint tones of Blackstreet issuing from the speakers. Good song. Fionna did her best to look really excited, throwing her bag off into the corner and ignoring the disapproval in Cake's voice.  
>' Pretty awesome, right? I was out adventuring when I found this like, scaly dog-lookin' dude and I got my sword stuck in his neck, and by the time I'd pulled it out he had ran into this cave thingy, and then the floor collapsed and I fell into this cavern and-'<br>' Fionna, I want an explanation, not a novella. What is this?' Cake said, eyeing the suspender straps.  
>' It's an enchanted outfit, girl!' Cake raised an eyebrow skeptically, walking around her.<br>' Enchanted how?'  
>' I don't know, but it was glowing when I found it so I'm pretty sure it is.' Cake, who had finished making her round, stood in front of Fionna and squinted at her for a few seconds, while Fionna desperately tried to keep her cool. Then Cake sighed and grabbed Fionna's wrist and dragged her over to the table.<br>' You an' me, we're talking. Right now.' Fionna cursed mentally, a deep well of apprehensiveness suddenly forming in her stomach as she sheepishly sat down at the table across from Cake. She kind of wanted to pull up the bustier, just to try and force her boobs down into it a little more, but that would hint to Cake that she wasn't as comfortable wearing it as she seemed.  
>Femme settled in gleefully up on her rafter. This was going to be very entertaining.<p>

' Fionna, I understand why you didn't want to speak with me about the book I gave to you last night, but honey, when I decide to teach you about sex and then you come home looking like that, you gotta understand how it looks to me.' Up in the rafters, Femme stopped wishing for popcorn and raised an eyebrow in surprise. So wait, Fionna had only discovered the cold hard facts of life... Last night?  
>Fionna blinked at Cake and decided her best strategy was to play dumb.<br>' Uhm, not- Cake, just because you can y'know, see that I'm a grown woman for a change doesn't mean I'm gonna do anything with it.' She replied, the comment coming out snarkier than she had meant it to. Cake frowned at her and raised an eyebrow.  
>' Mhm. Yeah, that outfit shows a little more that just the fact that you're growing up, sweetie. Your boobs are practically falling out of that whatever that is, and even though you're wearing shorts under that teeny-weeny skirt, it's still very suggestive.' She said disapprovingly, folding her arms.<br>Fionna didn't appreciate Cake's tone of voice, as it reminded her of their mother lecturing her when she had done something naughty years ago. She was only two years off of being an adult dammit, would it kill people to start treating her like that?  
>' Well y'know what, I actually like the way it looks. It makes me look tougher, and yeah, it makes me look sexier. So what? I'm sixteen, like you said I'm old enough to know this stuff. And if I'm old enough to know about it, I'm old enough to make my own decisions about it. You can't tell me what to wear, Cake.' She said defiantly, standing up from the table and putting a hand on her hip. Cake got up on to the table so that they were the same height and Cake could meet Fionna's eyes. She still grew slightly larger for good measure though, her fur puffing out and her tail flicking behind her.<p>

' No, I can't tell you what to wear, but I'm telling you as your sister, that outfit sends the wrong message, Fionna. It doesn't make you look tough, all that exposed skin leaves you vulnerable. And presenting yourself like that is like serving up a free meal on a silver platter. You don't wanna give people the impression you're freely available for their fantasies, that's asking for trouble.' Fionna scoffed at her, starting to become actually annoyed with her sister and guardian. Just because she had changed her outfit didn't mean she had changed her values! And just because she now understood what sex was didn't mean she was immediately going to try and experience it, at least not with any random guy that happened to be open to it.  
>' My clothing shouldn't send any sort of definitive message, I'd hope people were smart enough to form opinions on me with their heads, not their junk! Anyone who judges me based on my clothing is gonna get a good ass-kicking to teach 'em a lesson, and I have the right to dress as sexy as I want without worrying about what people assume. That's their problem, and it only becomes mine when their assumptions change how they interact with me.'<br>' In a perfect world Fionna, but we ain't livin' in one, and common sense says you shouldn't put yourself out there like that unless you're going to deliver. Even if you're old enough to know, that doesn't mean you're old enough to tempt fate with all that skin on display.'  
>' I can't believe you. I can bloody well take care of myself, and for fuck's sake I have at least as much skin on display when we go swimming. You've never told me that that was going to invite the world into my pants!' She cried angrily. Cake looked scandalised, her tail frizzing out big time.<br>' Fionna! Language! And that's a completely different context.'  
>' No, it isn't Cake. I'm still just doing what I'm always doing, and whether you can see my stomach doesn't change a damn thing.' she said firmly, before turning on her heel and jumping up the ladder to her room. Cake watched her go, then hissed at the ladder, growling at the ceiling the turning around and leaving a deep claw mark in the wall next to the window when she swiped at it.<p>

Femme stayed frozen in surprise, watching as Cake collapsed back into her seat and toyed with the walkman in front of her, batting at the cord of the headphones. That, uh... That hadn't been as entertaining as she had thought it would be. It had actually made her feel a little sick in her stomach. Watching people fight about petty things was funny, but that had quickly changed from petty into a rather explosive clash of opinions, the kind that could create lasting rifts in a relationship. Boy, did she know that.  
>She silently flew through the rafters and up into Fionna's bedroom, turning back into a human once she made it up the ladder. Fionna was lying curled up on her side on the bed with her back to Femme, her blonde hair spilling out across the covers and down onto the floor behind her. Femme walked uncertainly over to the bed and brushed aside a couple locks of Fionna's hair, then sat down facing the opposite way.<p>

' I, uh... I didn't think that would happen.' She ventured after a few seconds. Fionna didn't say anything, and they lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. Femme was going to say something else- If Fionna caved to Cake, the whole gig would be up and she could forget engineering the relationship between her old friend and her new one. Surprisingly, she actually wanted the two of them to work out now, and she was starting to appreciate Fionna as a person, not purely a source of entertainment (though just starting, she was still mostly entertainment). She was quite the little spitfire, even if she wasn't the brightest or the most wordly. She had spunk, and Femme could get behind that. Fionna spoke before she could though.  
>' She needs to let me grow up and make my own choices. Even if I'm wrong, she needs to let me figure that out. She can't run my life forever.' She muttered, her body staying completely rigid. Femme heaved an internal sigh of relief- teenage rebellion was so <em>convenient<em>- and nodded, twisting around and slapping a hand on Fionna's back.  
>' Amen to that, EB. She's just your sister, and while I respect that, you can't let her tell you what to do forever. 'Cause then you'll only be lost when she doesn't.' Fionna sat up and turned around to face her, and Femme saw a spark in her eyes, a little hint of mischief that had been noticeably absent before and honestly, reminded her of a certain vampire.<br>' Exactly.'

* * *

><p>Alexander laughed good-naturedly as he raised a hand in fairwell to his poker buddies, whistling as the door closed behind him and he walked away, counting the bills in his hand. Tonight had been a good take. He had made a profit of forty-six dollars, decent when a big bet in this group was something like twenty-five bucks. However, unfortunately, he didn't finish counting fast enough to pocket the cash before he was snatched off of the pathway and dragged through the air, the notes ripped from his palm by the wind and scattering into the lava pools, where they of course, burnt up.<br>Alexander yelped in surprise, unable to see who exactly had abducted him as they shot higher and higher up into the nightosphere until his captor was weaving between stalactites with the screeching night guard trailing behind them. Suddenly, Alexander felt the hand under his armpits retract and he inhaled deeply in preparation for a scream before the wind was knocked out of him as he hit a hard surface and went rolling across it, bringing up puffs of dust.

Marshall-lee watched with nothing but impatience as the man lay groaning on the floor of the cave. This was the entrance to one of the secret exits to the Nightosphere, but it required a lot of effort to make it all the way through the treacherous, long-since forgotten rabbit hole, and as much as he still wanted to- He wanted answers first. He wanted answers, and then he wanted time to think. Like his mother said, if he couldn't stay away, then he'd have to go back, at the very least to let Fionna know why she wouldn't be seeing much of him for about a year. Although he could rationalise how intense his attachment to her was currently, his mother had said imprinting usually happened on the foundations of something that was already there. Because of that, he didn't want to cut her out forever, and maybe this guy would be able to let him know whether that was an option he would seriously have to consider.  
>Fuck, he hoped not.<p>

' Who... Who the fuck are you? What is this, man!?' Alexander finally managed to cough out as he pulled himself up on his arms, his head hanging as he spat out a globule of phlegm onto the cave floor. Marshall floated forward until he was directly in front of the man. Even so, Alexander still had to squint to make out who it was, for with his back to the light, Marshall's figure was merely a silhouette until you got up close.  
>' Mars- S-sir?' Alexander eventually stuttered after a moment, dragging himself up into a standing position. He was pretty much back to perfect health now, not even a bruise from his rough arrival. He was quite tall, about the same height as Marshall, lean but muscular at the same time. He had rich chocolate-coloured skin and his short tightly curled hair was a salt-and-pepper mix of grey and black, though his scruffy goatee was completely grey. Marshall raised one side of his upper lip in distaste and lowered his hood.<br>' Don't call me that, it makes me feel ancient, and by all accounts you're probably older. Sorry for being so rough, but I'm kind of in a hurry.' Alexander, who was dusting off the back of his trousers and casual button down shirt, looked up and nodded, his mouth open in an o of comprehension.  
>' Ah, rushing to get back to the missus? First time's the hardest, don't worry. It gets easier to get a handle on it, though I reckon I was more randy the second time-' Marshall reached out and grabbed Alexander's shoulder, catching him just before he began to reminisce.<br>' Dude, no. I had no idea what imprinting even was before I came here tonight. The girl she- I'm not even dating her, and I haven't had sex with her before.' Alexander appeared surprised as Marshall dropped his hand.  
>' Really? That's um, unusual I think. So what d'ya need me for then?'<br>' I have questions that I sure as shit wasn't gonna ask my mom. And now that I see you out of armour, I can see you're a vamp. So think of it as a call to the king's aid.' Alexander's expression suddenly became serious and his position a little straighter, then he nodded sharply. Marshall had to surpress a grin. This guy was obviously a patriotic motherfucker. All the better for him.

' Ask away, S- Okay look, what the hell do I call you? You are my ruler technically, after all.' Alexander asked over the top of his beer. Alcohol was freely available in the Nightosphere to the few who could access it. It was almost a disposable substance, as many creatures were immune to it's effects.  
>After explaining his situation, Marshall had been lead by Alexander to a discreet little pub tucked down in the shanty towns that popped up in the cave systems beneath Nightosphere. Escaped souls lived down here, in fear of the Queen, but Marshall didn't wanna deal with people cowering in fright if he was recognised. Alexander was a royal guard so elicited a similar effect, and had figured out where was good and where was rather hostile.<br>' Just call me Marshall-lee.' Marshall replied dismissively, having forgoed beer in favour of whisky. He preferred the flavour. Marshall rolled his eyes at Alexander's face after he'd taken a shot, then shook his head.  
>' Okay fine, call me Sir then.' He said reluctantly, then tapped his shot glass on the bar twice.<br>' So... Okay: Your first time, you started talking about it before I went inside. Finish that story.' Alexander looked at his beer bottle pensively, watching a drip of condensation flow down the green glass before he began:

' I was nine hundred and ninety three; I thought I had a few more years at least until I'd have to deal with imprinting and it fucking up my life. I was happy working, playing poker, having flings, it was an easy routine and I didn't need kids interrupting it, y'know? But then one day, I'm with my mom at my stepdad's and his daughter comes home. We'd hooked up a couple times before, but I wasn't really that into her. I mean, she was pretty, and I liked her, if she had wanted more I probably wouldn't have said no but like I said, I was comfortable where I was and a girlfriend would've changed that. So anyway, my mom wants us all to go out for dinner but Stephanie- the stepdaughter- said she was feeling a little under the weather, which is code for 'let's fuck.' So of course, I volunteer to stay behind with her and we get it on, and it was pretty good. But afterwards, all I wanna do is her again. She's pretty insatiable usually so she was up for it, and we fucked two more times before they got home.' Alexander paused to take a sip of his beer, then he leaned intowards Marshall and his voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper.  
>' Here's where it gets interesting though. I went home like usual, feeling pretty buzzed, but the second I wake up the next morning first thought in my head was ' Stephanie.' Ain't never happened to me before. I couldn't get her out of my head all day, and by the time I got off work I was so freaked I ditched poker and just went straight home. Then, even though I thought it was way too early, I checked for my reflection and bam- there I was. In all my imprinted glory.' Alexander was about to continue when Marshall interrupted him.<br>' Wait, the reflection- That's an imprinting thing.' Alexander nodded vigorously as he drunk from his beer.  
>' Yeah, it is. Far as I know, it's a side effect of a thing that helps make it more likely the baby will take, if you succeed in making one. Your physical form gets a little more present- Oh, so just so you know sir, you won't be able to go totally invisible while you're on- because I mean, you're gonna be using it a lot, aren't ya? So you get a reflection.' Marshall frowned.<br>' I didn't know that was even a thing. Your physical form's level of presence, I mean'  
>' Yeah, it's weird aye? But it's 'cause all of our nether world demon shit corrupts our connection to the mortal plane and our mortal bodies- incidentally, that's why we can do all the cool stuff like flying and whatever- so when it comes to making babies for the best chances you've gotta have as standard a swimmer as possible, right? If it's all messed up with vampire stuff then your mate's body is more likely to see it as a threat, even if she's also a demon. So obviously even though you can try off your cycle it's more likely to create problems for your partner and the kid, and I also think you don't produce as much spunk off cycle but eh, that's just me. So I suppose, when you're imprinted, you sort of become a little more human again.' Marshall thought about this for a second, then decided he didn't want to and dismissed it, pouring himself another shot.<p>

' Yeah okay, so you figured out you were imprinted- what did you do?'  
>' I shit my pants. Figuratively, I mean. I was not ready for this crap but looking back, I don't think I ever would've been. Anyway, I called up Steph and told her that 'cause I'd fucked her at the start of my cycle, I was imprinted on her. Her uncle's a vampire, so she knew about it even though she's just a succubus, and y'know I'm probably lucky she was. Those girls can take a pounding, and come back for seconds. She showed up on my doorstep that afternoon and I'll be damned if the next month and a half wasn't the best of my life so far.' Alexander grinned, and Marshall saw an opportunity to jump in with a question that had been nagging at him all day.<br>' So, when you fuck your imprint- uh, w-what's it like? I mean, obviously I haven't but is it y'know, different?' Alexander snapped out of his starry-eyed nostalgia and looked over at Marshall, shaking his head wisely.  
>' No matter how good you've been fucked up 'till now, it just doesn't compare, sir. You gotta understand, you body is trying to make a baby. It wants you coming back for more, as many times as possible. You ever heard of nirvana, Sir? That's what it's like when you do your imprint. Pure fuckin' nirvana.' Marshall-lee blinked at him for a second, then downed his shot of whisky. Fuck. He kinda wished he hadn't asked.<p>

Alexander picked up his story again after a second, clearly at ease with sharing the information. Alexander was just the kind of guy who loved to share a good anecdote, and at the moment this story was perfect, even if he only had an audience of one.  
>' So, if you got a barren partner or the foresight to carry like, a whole box of condoms at all times, then your 'on' time can last for like, four months. That's fun, I'll tell you that. But Steph got pregnant after that first month and a half. I knew before she did. I woke up next to her one morning, after a damn good night beforehand, and I looked over at her and realised I wasn't horny. Just hungry and a little tired. And obviously, the only reason I wouldn't want her when I was on was that I had succeeded in getting her up the duff. I broke the news to her and she laughed at me, then slapped me in the face two weeks later when she realised I was telling the truth.'<br>' So, what'd you do?' Marshall asked, deeply engrossed in the tale.  
>' I had to tell my mum, and like I said to you, I was scared shitless. But she was overjoyed. Finally gonna be a grandmother, I've waited long enough, blah blah blah. Anyway, Steph had the kid, but she didn't want it, so my mom brought her up. My baby girl's three hundred and twenty two now. Just last week, in fact.' Alexander grinned broadly, and Marshall was surprised to find her hadn't expected the story to end with Alexander still in contact with his child. This guy didn't seem like a father. Not that Marshall-lee exactly had a template to base off.<p>

' So wait, that makes you... what, over thirteen hundred years old?' Marshall pointed out and Alexander nodded.  
>' Yup, and before you ask 'cause I know you're gonna, I've been though twelve cycles. I'm not up for my thirteenth for a couple more years, I think. But it's old hat now, and I know who I'm imprinting on, so it doesn't worry me.'<br>' Wait, what d'ya mean? How do you know?' Marshall questioned, confused. Alexander smiled at the youngster and held up his left hand. It took Marshall-lee a second to click but then he noticed the slightly grimy golden band around Alexander's fourth finger.  
>' I'm married, sir. I've been married to her for a hundred and fifty years, and imprinted on her seven times. She's the one. The girl before her, I thought she was my soulmate because we were so passionate about each other but when my next cycle came around I imprinted on my wife instead of the girl I was dating. Imprinting ain't just about babies, even though that's what it's for. It's a trial run, for you to figure out if you and your partner go together. When all you wanna do is fuck 'em, you end up spending a lot of time with each other but the difference is, when you met the right girl you won't want to leave when the cycle's up. Because you love her.' Alexander paused and became thoughtful, staring up at the ceiling. 'It's like... For me, I've always been into the girl as a person as well when I'm imprinted, just wanting to be all over her constantly, even if we'd just fucked. I knew that I was tied down when that feeling didn't go away after I got her pregnant. Unfortunately, she miscarried but we tried again next time and now I have twin sons as well as my daughter. I'll be damned if they ain't cutest little buggers too. '<p>

Marshall looked away from the older man and into his whisky bottle, contemplating the caramel coloured liquid. Alexander studied the younger's body language, then clapped a hand across his back.  
>' Look, your first imprint is unlikely to be the girl you spend the rest of your death with, sir. Though to be entirely honest, I've never heard of someone imprinting on somebody they'd never had sex with at least once before. You do actually know her, right?' Marshall looked up from the whisky and nodded, though he didn't look at all appeased by Alexander's assertion.<br>' Yeah. I've known her a while, and me and her- I-I've always y'know, like you and Stephanie if she asked I probably wouldn't say no, but she's so young and I feel guilty 'cause of we get along like- she just understands, and doesn't put up with my bullshit.' Marshall admitted, laughing once.  
>' She gets stuff, and she doesn't judge. I actually <em>like<em> her, as a person, before any of the romantic shit. And even without the imprinting, I dunno if I wanna get involved with her, 'cause if I do and it's bad I'll lose her as just someone I like hanging out with.' Marshall-lee sighed and drunk straight from the bottle, then put it down on the counter and began to gesture with his hands.  
>'So I've gotta decided whether I do nothing and go through fucking hell avoiding her until my cycle's done, or risk what I've already got because of this fucking situation. And even if she's willing, which is like a sixy-forty chance not in my favour in the first place, what the fuck do I do if she ends up with a baby? That'd ruin her life, and it'd definitely do something to mine. I don't even know if I ever wanna be a father.' Marshall griped, running his fingers through his hair. Alexander laughed once, before finishing off his beer.<br>' Sounds like the big man thought you were being too indecisive with your life and thought he'd give you a little help making up your mind.' Marshall-lee raised an eyebrow at him cynically and Alexander held up one hand defensively.  
>' Look, you want my opinion? She's your first imprint. Go for it, experience it. Find out what it's like. And seriously, if she's as good as you say she is, just tell her you can't help it 'cause you can't pretty much. If she doesn't judge, then she should understand. Or forgive you, whichever is required. And as for the fatherhood thing, I was exactly the same. But now well, if anyone tried to touch my kids I'd tear their fucking throat out. I love 'em to death.' Marshall considered this for a moment, but then Alexander laughed once and looked at him sideways.<br>' But uh, pro tip for your troubles, on the house: Until you know whether you'll take care of this girl, _Don't_ get her pregnant. That's a situation you don't need.'

**Author's note: picking up the pace a bit. I'm not sure whether alexander will be a reoccurring character, but he might end up as a sort of mentor/father figure to Marshall, I haven't decided yet. As for Fionna, well... Let's say that femme isn't exactly the best influence, however she's exactly what Fionna needs. Also Crispy: I used it. Where's my cookie?  
>Guest reviews<br>Musicninja: Well, thank ye kindly, and here's your update!  
>Mia: D'aww, pshhht. Thanks :3<br>Awesome: That's a very uh, modest username there haha. And thanks, I'm glad you do!**  
><strong>Guest: You made a valid point there, and I hope my (well, Alexander's) explanation was clear enough. Thanks for reading :3<strong>  
><strong>Other guest<strong>: **Y'know, I've always been better at writing Marshall, I think I identify with him more. But Fionna well, she's stuck in a bit of a hole development wise, because she needs to learn so much stuff before she can form her opinions on it. Still, I hope you felt a little more connected to her this chapter, she's starting to become her own person.**

**EDIT: 100 FOLLOWERS! Yaaaay :D Good to see people like some plot with their porn, eh? nah seriously, thank you all for reading, I'm glad you're enjoying my crackpot imaginings.  
><strong>

**See ya in the next chapter!**

**-WRA**


	13. Chapter 13- Something To Think On

**Author's WARNING: The following chapter contains much witty banter of a descriptive and graphic sexual nature. VERY NSFW. Just in case.  
><strong>**So basically, if y'all is at school, just wait till you get home or at least make sure no-one can read over your shoulder, hah?**

' But why do I have to wiggle my butt so much? it's a pain in the- well, the butt!' Fionna protested, looking back over her shoulder at Femme, who was making a picture frame with her hands, one eye closed as she looked through it at the adventuress.  
>' Because the eye is naturally drawn to movement, and because boys like it when you shake what ya mama gave ya.' Fionna rolled her eyes, turning around and concentrating on putting one foot perfectly in front of the other. Femme said this technique helped you roll your hips naturally, and although Fionna could definitely feel that she was correct, it was an alien sensation and quite hard to get used to.<br>The shapeshifter had left the previous afternoon, in spite of Fionna's pleading for her to give her a reason not to go apologise to Cake, and hadn't turned up until around midday today. Fionna suspected that Femme was trying to force her to make amends with Cake (and she had, begrudgingly) but then, instead of doing anything cool, Femme had just made her walk up and down for like, an hour.  
>' Why?' Femme dropped her hands and shrugged in exasperation.<br>' Well, _I_ don't know, do I? I'm not a guy, don't ask me what it is about asses that they love so much. It's not a rule either, some men prefer boobs, some are all about the legs. So if you learn how to utilise all three, you'll turn into a walking man-trap, and that is some fun I'll tell ya. You'll never get things easier than when a dude wants to bone you.' Fionna snorted, walking back in the other direction again.  
>' You have so many slang terms for y'know, doing the do.'<br>' And your unwillingness to even simply say have sex is frankly adorable, my dear. Speaking of which: am I right when I assumed that what kitty-kat said meant you only found out exactly what sex is last night?' Fionna frowned for a second, her mood tainted by the memory of their fight and the awkward, half-apologies from both parties, then nodded.  
>'Yeah, actually. I knew bits and pieces but I didn't know about any of the nitty-gritty stuff.'<br>' Such as?' Fionna blushed when she turned back around, and Femme immediately grinned, excited for the teasing opportunities that were about to come her way.  
>' Such as it involved a dude putting his thing inside you.'<br>' Fionna, saying thing makes you sound like an elementary schooler. Say penis, or dick or cock.' Femme snickered slyly when Fionna turned crimson in response, then the adventuress jabbed a finger at her.  
>' You did that on purpose! Gah, you're as bad as Marshall.' Femme shook her head, sticking out her tongue through her teeth.<br>' Oh no, not even close. I'm much worse. And that's just penetrative intercourse, your standard dictionary definition of what sex is. The galaxy is larger than the star at its center.'Fionna, who's legs were now actually starting to ache a little bit, sat down in front of Femme and flicked her fringe impatiently.

' Enlighten me then. You're the one with all the experience.' Femme looked around for a proper seat, rather than simply plonking down on the grassy hillside the way Fionna had done. But she couldn't spot one, so she shrugged and took a seat in front of the adventuress.

' Oh, where to start- Okay, so do you know what the point of sex is? Beyond making babies, that's just an unfortunate side-effect of an otherwise healthy and fun-filled leisure activity.' Fionna gave Femme a look that told her she got enough deadpan humour from people that weren't her, then nodded.  
>' Yeah.'<br>' So then you've done it for yourself, I'm guessing?' Femme questioned easily, and laughed-though not unkindly- at Fionna's expression. She squirmed uncomfortably, looking down at the grass and hunching her shoulders in.  
>' EB, don't be embarrassed, there's nothing shameful about it. Lots of animals do it, it's healthy. Fuck, if people didn't get themselves off once in a while there'd be so much frustration and pent up sexual tension around that you'd be able to start a fight at the drop of a hat because peeps just wanna relieve some stress. It's completely normal.' Fionna looked up at the shapeshifter, her lip twisted oddly.<br>' Still, it just seems kinda... It doesn't seem like something you should talk about.' Femme nodded.  
>' Yeah, it's not dinner conversation, but you can still discuss it when it's relevant without getting awkward. Understanding y'self first will help you tell your partner what you like; It gives you a baseline the first few times when you're figuring each other out sexually, and that's when you get to the romantic point: You wanna make someone feel good. That's true for all sexual relations but it's more important with a lover than with a hookup because you'll kinda have to see the lover again and you probably actually like them.' Fionna thought about this for a second then nodded. That made sense.<br>' Okay got that. So how does this relate to your galaxy of uhm, sex?'  
>' Well, when you understand that the point of sex is to get yourself and your partner off in any way possible, you realise there are many, <em>many<em> different ways it can be accomplished. It can use almost every part of your body, toys, roleplaying, even location can be a factor in turning someone on. It's up to you and your partner to figure out what works best for the two of ya.' Fionna blinked at her then shook her head, holding up a hand.  
>' That's all fine, but that sounds like the icing on the cake. Just tell me what the hell I do when I'm in there.' Femme nodded and smiled at her, relishing her position of teacher with a completely clueless student. She liked being in charge, in all areas of life. It was kind of her thing. She just didn't like responsibility.<br>There were certain things she and Marshall agreed on.

' So, for a man, usually what they want is to put their cock either in or on you in some way, shape or form. This can include putting it in your mouth and having you suck it, which is called oral sex, putting it in your vajayjay which is your standard issue vanilla penetrative sex, or putting it in your butt, which is called anal sex.' Fionna grimaced at the last one and stuck her tongue out in distaste.  
>' Ew. Why would they want to put it in your butt? That's disgusting.'<br>' Meh. Some guys have a thing for ass, I told you that. And in that situation you'll usually clean up very, very well before anything happens. People who have a thing for poop are just weird, don't even.' Fionna's expression became even more scandalised.  
>' Uhm, sex is kind of gross.' She pointed out. Femme nodded sagely.<br>' Yes, yes it is. But it feels damn good, and when you're in the middle of it you won't even care.'

Fionna shrugged, still not appearing entirely convinced but taking her word for it. After all, she had gotten turned on by the thought of Marshall taking his mouth downstairs, back before she understood any of this. Back before she knew he had actually done so. Creep.  
>She was still gonna get him back for that. She was gonna make him beg for her forgiveness, and then she'd withhold it until he was a miserable wreck for invading her privacy like that and then obviously skipping out to avoid the consequences. Counting on Femme's assistance, he'd want her so badly that as soon as she figured out how she'd get away with it, then the <em>real<em> adventuring could commence.  
>But making him chase her would also give her the time to decide whether she even wanted to get away with it. Whether he was worth the time and effort or whether she should move on to someone who hadn't treated her so insensitively. She couldn't decide without seeing him again.<br>But if she did decide he wasn't what she wanted, this still wouldn't go to waste. She could use Femme's advice for any man, or so it seemed.

Fionna made a continue gesture with her hand, and Femme cleared her throat.  
>' So those are the three base types of sex. Oral sex can be done on and performed by either a girl or a boy, and so can anal, but obviously vaginal can only happen to a girl.'<br>' Wait, how can a girl give a guy um, anal?' Fionna questioned, disliking the word. It had a weird sound to it that made her spine crawl. Femme grinned at her, snapping her fingers and pointing at her appreciatively.  
>' And with that question darling, we neatly segway into enhancing those three base types of sex. This can be done chemically, mentally, situationally, or with foreign objects.' Fionna looked vaguely apprehensive, turning her face away slightly.<br>' Foreign objects sounds... dangerous.'  
>' Well that's kinda funny, because that's the most common one. I'll leave the descriptions of the actual items up to Marshall- I can't take away all of his fun- but all it means is something that you put in or on yourself or your partner's body to enhance the experience. That applies to chemicals too, but obviously that's messing with your brain directly, which is a little more risky. And as for your question, there is such thing as fake dicks.' Fionna frowned then slowly nodded and patiently waited for Femme to continue. It took Femme a minute to decide how to approach the last one, because it was probably the easiest to screw up in the moment.<br>' So then you have situations and the mental state. Obviously, you have to be somewhat interested in having sex, you can't just start boning and expect your partner to be into it. That's rape, even if you're dating the person at the time. But beyond that, yours and your partner's mental state and the factors that contribute to it will have a big effect on how good the sex is for both of you. For example, some people like to fuck in places where they might get caught: the risk factor makes it better for them. Then some people like to restrain their partner, or themselves be restrained during sex because that sense of control, or lack thereof, is what gets them off. Mental state is a very complicated matter, and it isn't one you should try to figure out through trial and error, as getting it wrong could be really, really bad for your relationship and for whoever you're with. You gotta talk about that sort of stuff, no matter how awkward it might seem.' Femme had a sudden epiphany moment that resulted in a rather hastily composed example  
>' Say, l-like what we're doing here: Turning you into a sexual fantasy with these clothes and these little tips to make you more attractive to him. That doesn't mean you should let people treat you as <em>just<em> a sexual fantasy, and that's what Cake was worried about. She's afraid that you'll stop being all of the other stuff that makes you you and not just a walking vagina, right? So if he takes it too far towards the sex without the love, it might ruin it for you, because you'll feel like he's just using your body rather than being with you. And you gotta let him know that before it creates problems you can't fix.'

Fionna stayed silent for a minute, thinking over what Femme had just told her. Understanding why Cake had been so unreasonable made her feel a little bad for being so close-minded herself, but it also made her feel a little insulted. Cake ought to know that she wasn't like that, so she didn't go back on what she had said.  
>However, the mention of restraints had piqued her interest, and when she realised exactly why that was, she blushed a rather spectacular shade of magenta. Femme noticed immediately and tipped her head to the side, leaning in closer and smiling.<br>' What? What is it, what're you thinking, eh?'  
>' Um, nothing.'<br>' Fionna, spill or I'll do something.' The adventuress looked up, one eyebrow cocked.  
>' Oh not something, anything but that!' She sniped, giving Femme a Bitch-Please look. Femme laughed and nodded.<br>' Kudos for the sarcasm, but seriously, I wanna know.' Fionna sighed and pulled a flower out of the ground next to her knee, starting to pick off the petals.  
>' Y'know how I said he pinned me down? After eavesdropping on me? And by the way, when I said he was eavesdropping on me when I was <em>alone<em>, well... you can probably figure out what he heard.' Femme tipped her head back, making a small noise of understanding.  
>' Ah, gotcha. That must've been a little mortifying.' Fionna laughed shortly, without much humour.<br>' Try a lot. Anyway, when he had me pinned, he started kissing my neck- for a second I thought he was gonna bite me but then he was just like, licking me and... I kind of hated how I couldn't do anything, how he wasn't letting me move but because of what he was doing I-I... I _liked_ it too, and I only just now realised.' She finished quickly, turning pink again. Femme grinned and shook her head. This girl was just so _cute_, dear lord. Considering how apparently lethal she was too, when you considered her performance with that scaly dog whatever, the contrast between her physical prowess and her lack of confidence when it came to using it was startling and adorable.  
>' Heh, considering what he had in his kink box I reckon Marshall will love that.' Fionna sighed at his name and looked at Femme, her eyebrows suddenly furrowing in determination.<br>' Femme, you've known Marshall-lee a really, really, really, really, really, re-'  
>' Okay, you can stop there. Yes, I've known him for donkey's, what's your point?'<br>' Is he worth all this?'

Femme thought about it for a minute. She had only gotten involved for a little project, something to do that would make a great anecdote. She wasn't that interested in whether these two worked out, though in the course of having spent a day or two with the girl next to her, she was starting to believe that she would be good for Marshall. Marshall-lee had problems, the really deep-seated ones which caused actual issues. Everyone did, but his were on the darker, more serious end of the spectrum because he wasn't stupid. Fionna was very forgiving, (as evidenced by how she still liked that impulsive little vampire slut, in spite of his occasional idiocy) but she had the energy and charisma to keep Marshall interested, or so she believed. After all, he was already falling in love with her, wasn't he? And she'd never seen Marshall claim more than physical attraction for a person he hadn't bedded at least a few times before. He test-drove all his cars before he even got a quote from the dealership.  
>She was just making the roadtrip of their relationship a little more interesting. Call her an enabler, but it wasn't in her job description to care about what happened afterwards.<br>Man, where had all these car salesman metaphors come from?

Femme flicked her tongue out over her lips and popped them once before she answered.  
>' That's really up to you, Fionna. You're still after him, even though he's made mistakes with you and failed to apologise. So It seems you think so. But me? Marshall's not as bad as he makes out to be. Just... insecure, I think. And kind of skittish. He panics easily. So if you can put up with his fuck ups for the sake of when things go right, then yeah. He's worth it.' Fionna didn't look as if her question had been answered by this, so Femme reached across and pulled off her bunny hat, ruffling her fringe.<br>' And hey, if you decide he's a dickbag, that accounts for all your relationships. The good times have gotta be worth the bad, because you'll get both. If you can put up with them when they're being stupid, and you love them when they're not, hang on to it.' Fionna snatched her bunny hat back and laughed as she tugged it on.  
>' Yeah, alright.' Femme smirked at her, though not unkindly, recognising the irony of her dishing out relationship advice when she hadn't been with anybody emotionally in more than a century. Because so far, no-one could compare to him.<br>No-one could replace her Mew-mew.

* * *

><p>'<em>... I wrestle with my thoughts, I shook the hand of doubt<em>  
><em>Running from my past I'm praying feet, don't fail me now<em>

_I've lost my goddamn mind_  
><em>It happens all the time<em>  
><em>I can't believe I'm actually meant to be here<em>  
><em>Trying to consume<em>  
><em>The drug in me is you<em>  
><em>And I'm so high on misery, can't you see?'<em>

Marshall had missed the sound of his cursed guitar. It was one of the only objects that could literally never leave the Nightosphere (all that crap about 'No-one leaves' was just his mother being a bitch) because if it did, the curse would drive him insane, making his fingers twitch whenever they weren't holding the strings and his mind fixate on whatever song he had last used it to play. That was the danger of it but my gob, the sound more than made up for it. It was just so damn _sexy_.  
>Speaking of sexy, Fionna was still on his mind (it would be more shocking when she wasn't) and he had picked the song because that was how she was making him feel. He was a junkie without his fix, trying to get high on the thought of her but it wasn't enough.<br>After his conversation with Alexander the two had continued to drink and talk because as Marshall had discovered, the older man was actually pretty cool. The fact that he was a dad didn't seem to have changed his personality, apart from the occasional anecdote about his kids that would leave him starry-eyed.  
>Alexander actually admitted to being a long time fan of the Rock Gods, which stroked Marshall's ego to no end, and the last thing he remembered was being kicked out of the pub after he and Alexander had begun drunkenly singing one of the more lewd tracks, entitled 'Bite Me'. They'd taken Marshall's (second) bottle of whisky with them and everything was a blur from then as the alcohol kept flowing. He'd woken up back in his room after a dreamless sleep and had consequently spent nearly an hour in the shower trying to ease off some of the tension but it hadn't worked as well as he'd hoped. Just thinking about her, picturing her wasn't satisfying him anymore. Even when he didn't need to fuck her anymore, he still wanted to feel her holding him, to listen to her voice and to just physically be in her presence. It was getting harder and harder not to leave, and he'd only been away a little while.<p>

His mother was right. He'd have to go back. It had been five days since he'd managed to get stuck in the bathroom. Just five bloody days.  
>But something was still holding him frozen with inertia, in spite of having met with Alexander and realising that dads could essentially be normal people, if it came to that (which was a very real possibility). If Fionna had his baby, it wouldn't necessarily change him all that much. Apart from the fact that if he ended up in the media for whatever reason, he'd be referred to as 'Father of one.'<br>But fuck, what would it possibly do to her? He didn't want to be responsible for ruining her life, he didn't want to be responsible for jack shit. He didn't want to know that he would have to stay with her for the sake of a baby because he didn't know how he would feel once the imprint-haze went away and he'd be able to look at her again as he did before. He could barely remember what it had been like, seeing her as a friend that might be something else one day, but not needing that something else with a powerful desperation. Or maybe he had been lying to himself, and he'd always wanted her far more than his ego would've cared to admit. All the imprinting was doing was forcing him to acknowledge it. A thousand years was plenty of time to start feeling a little lonely.  
>If he did this with her, would they ever be just friend again, was it even possible, and would either of them want to be? Their relationship might change too much for him to go back if this was all just hormones. Would an innocent little girl, who hadn't gone through enough to compartmentalize physical and emotional love like he did, be able to recover if once it was all over, Alexander was right and she was just his first?<br>Fuck, he'd be her first everything.  
>Was it really too much to just cope with, so much so that he'd do it knowing that he could be the first guy to really, truly break Fionna the Human's heart?<br>The fact it was her, of all people, made it infinitely worse.

He didn't want to. But then he really, really did.

And that's why he was standing in his room, wishing he was with her as the music that poured from his vocal chords and his cursed guitar tried and failed to communicate his thoughts. It was incredibly simply but there was so many justifications he felt he had to give to explain his indecision, when all it came down to was "_will I, won't I?"_  
>That was the question.<p>

' _...And now, I've lost my fucking mind_  
><em>And there's no fucking time<em>  
><em>I can't believe I'm actually meant to be here<em>  
><em>Trying to consume<em>  
><em>The drug in me is you<em>  
><em>And I'm so high on misery, can't you see?<em>

_Can't you see?'_

**Author's note. Shi-et. You have no idea how many times I revised Marshall's little soliloquy, which is funny considering it's the shorter section of the chapter. Fionna and Femme's talk (which was great fun to write) only had a few addendums and some editing, but it was much more straightforward. I suppose Marshall is the emotionally complex one right now, but hold your horses, because as some of you may have seen through my rather obvious hint, Femme and Gumball are gonna be on the table in the next chapter. And seeing as I've written up most of it already, how 'bout I give you guys a sneak peek?**

_" Oh, grow up. She started it.' Fionna muttered reluctantly.  
><em>_' She!' Femme spluttered and collapsed onto her side, a fresh wave of laughs starting up and nearly suffocating her.  
><em>_' Yes, she! But I didn't want her to before she started kissing me, and I still wasn't sure even when she was. She came on to me, and she was so fast at it I literally didn't have the time to say no.' Fionna growled at her indignantly, tomato-faced and highly bothered. Femme was slowly recovering herself and eventually she rolled into an upright position, still shaking with the occasional chuckle.  
><em>_' Yeah, but you still could've once she started... I had no idea you swung that way, EB. I thought you were straight as a plank.'  
><em>_' I-I don't even know what that means!' Fionna stammered indignantly, and Femme took one look at her and began laughing again."_

**:O**

**See you in the next chapter!  
>-WRA<strong>

**EDIT: OH, I nearly forgot, the song Marshall is singing is called ' The Drug in Me is You' by Falling In Reverse. That whole album is the shit, man. It's fantastic, I literally listen to it on repeat for hours. Love ya, Ronnie!**


	14. Chapter 14- Kitty Purry(I Kissed A Girl)

Fionna groaned sleepily, having slowly felt her way back to consciousness due to being awakened by a currently unknown something or other. Though whether she was really conscious was sort of debatable.  
>' Oi, oh my gob you're slow... <em>Fionna<em>. We ain't got all night, girl.' Suddenly recognising the voice and connecting the necessary dots, Fionna sat bolt upright and raised an accusatory finger, pointing dramatically at the figure standing impatiently next to her bed. She opened her mouth wide and sucked in a huge lungful of air, but Femme simply rolled her eyes and stuffed a piece of material into Fionna's open mouth, nearly choking her.  
>' Don't be a drama queen, let's <em>move<em>.'

Femme scooped Fionna out of her bed and carried her in her arms, groaning slightly at her weight, then jumped easily out the window and slid down the leaves. Fionna was indignant at this treatment to the point of irrationality, and she bailed halfway through the jump, making the landing much easier for the shapeshifter but much harder for herself. Lessened of Fionna, Femme easily turned into a bird and caught herself before switching back into a human and folding her arms unsympathetically as Fionna rolled across the grass awkwardly and spat out the wad of fabric that had been gagging her.

' Where the fuck do you get off turning up here and treating me like that!?' Fionna yelled furiously, standing up and balling her fists looking as if she was about to take a swing at Femme. Femme, who was a little surprised that Fionna had swore, didn't get a chance to reply before she continued.  
>' You disappeared on me yesterday while I went to help Gumball, and you didn't show up at all today! Where the hell have you been, Femme?'<br>' I, uh, I think I may be a bad influence on you, I get the feeling you didn't swear before I turned up.'  
>' That's what you took from that!? While that may be true, that is definitely not the point, now shut up about that and tell me where you went.' Femme scowled at her and scratched the back of her head.<br>' Look, I told you I don't wanna see Gumball, and I wasn't sure whether you would've been finished with whatever you were doing for him today. If I had come you would've dragged me with you everywhere.' Fionna shook her head in exasperation, slapping her palm over her face and dragging her fingers down till they were level with the bottom of her eyes.  
>' Oh my fuck.'<br>' Definitely a bad influence.'  
>' You say it so often that I don't care about using it in front of y- Whatever, that's bullshit, what you just said! You're a freaking shapeshifter, you could've left whenever you wanted.' Femme held her hands up innocently.<br>' No, it's completely true. Even if I could leave, I'm not saying I would leave if I was already there. I don't think I'd be able to stop myself from coming with you because it was-' Femme abruptly cut herself off before she could finish, leaving Fionna standing in front of her with arms folded and eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Femme was starting to sympathize with Marshall-lee, for being so afraid of this girl and how he felt about her. Femme barely knew her, but she could already see she was the kind of person that made you want to sit on her lap and cry while she stroked your hair and told you everything would be fine. She was so motherly and kind and innocent and truthful and benevolent and just a good fucking person, all around. Even when she was mad, no matter what you had done you could feel she just couldn't hold a grudge, you knew she'd forgive you. She made you want to tell her things because you could believe she'd never tell anyone else. She made you want to trust her because she herself trusted so easily.  
>She made Femme feel weak. In all manner of ways.<br>So gob fucking knows how she made Marshall feel.

' Femme, I'm not as oblivious as you clearly think I am, and I reckon it's time you let me know something about you, because you know a decent amount of pretty private stuff about me. So what happened between you and Gumball, and why are you so scared of seeing him again?'  
>' I'm not scared!' Femme replied automatically, and it kinda reminded Fionna of Marshall-lee. So she immediately called liar.<br>' You're scared, now tell me why.' Femme glared at her for a couple moments then sighed and gestured to the piece of material that was lying discarded in the grass a few metres away from Fionna's feet.  
>' Put that on, I actually had a plan for tonight and I ain't abandoning it. If you can manage what I got in mind, I'll talk to you. Deal?' Fionna turned and picked up the fabric, loking at Femme sideways then held it up, revealing it to be a short black dress. She looked at it for a few moments, then, with only the slightest amount of apprehension, said:<br>' Okay.'

' So, me and Marshall used to play this game all the time, but you ain't got enough experience with it to win against me.' Femme said to Fionna, leaning against the bar and gesturing with the hand that held her drink. She had taken Fionna to a rather high-class bar named Candy's. Femme knew it was a front for an brothel featuring mainly candy girls from Mew-mew's kingdom, but it had a very secretive and small pool of cliente that used its rather specific service, so the girls didn't work the downstairs waterhole. However, it obviously did good business in spite of that, because the place was relatively full and everything was well maintained and had an air of seductive opulence, velvet padded walls intersected by floor to ceiling mirrors and heavy brocade curtains contrasting with the sleek, internally-lit black glass bar.  
>Femme looked slightly out of place, in her red heels, torn up jeans, t-shirt and a leather jacket, But Fionna fit right in, though she kept glancing around uncomfortably and squirming slightly in her seat.<br>The dress Femme had provided was actually navy blue, it had simply appeared black in the night. It was short and very streamlined, with geometrical cut outs that exposed flirtatious sections of her cleavage, her hips, her stomach and her upper and middle back. The hem only went to just below upper-thigh, forcing her to keep her legs crossed while sitting and nervously flicking her heel in and out of the black peep-toe stilettos Femme had 'borrowed' from a shoe shop on the way.

'So instead of racing against me, all you have to do is find a cute guy, and chat him up until he's trying to take you home. Then I'll come in and rescue you and answer your stupid questions about me and Gumball, okay?' Fionna blinked at her in terror, raising one hand in protest while the other tugged uselessly at her stubbornly resistant hem.  
>' W-wait, you haven't taught me anything about picking up guys, that's not even relevant! I'm not trying to pick up Marshall, I'm just trying to get him to notice me. And he'd realise straight away if I was acting.' Femme shook her head, taking a sip from her martini.<br>' This isn't about them or him, it's about you. Being hit on by someone will be a huge confidence boost for you. I can see how nervous you are even now, just because I've put you in sexy clothes. You don't wanna be thinking about how you look when you're with him, you wanna be concentrating on how he's making you feel, and vice versa.' Femme scanned her and sighed, deciding that she would pull out the pep-talk big guns, though she wasn't exactly great at it. Both of them would get to practice something tonight then.  
>' Fionna, you've got to realise you're actually quite a pretty girl. You have a nice face, and a body to kill for, seriously. You need to take pride in it and learn to show it off, like how you show off about how good you are at all your adventure stuff. Once you can do that, Marshall won't be able to help but notice, and you'll be riding him like a pony in no time.' Fionna blushed and her lip pulled upwards a little.<br>' Why do you have to put it like that?'  
>' Because your face makes me laugh.'<br>' Come off it.' She sighed, rolling her eyes. Femme smirked at her then finished her drink and put it down on the bar.  
>' I'm gonna go to the bathroom and when I come back, I don't wanna see you sitting here alone, alright? I've taught you about what guys focus on. So use it. And don't do anything hugely fake, just be funny and cute, you're pretty good at that already.'<br>' Femme, I like Marshall-lee. Flattery will get you nowhere.' Fionna snarked, standing up with obvious reluctance and wobbling slightly on the high heels. Femme grinned at her.  
>' Yeah, that's what I'm talking about, have some attitude and they'll come running. Back in a tick.'<p>

Fionna frowned worriedly after Femme as she weaved herself into the crowd and vanished into the colourful tapestry of people milling about in front of her. There were only so many tables and stools at the bar, encouraging people to stand about and mingle.  
>It was the first time she had ever looked at a crowd and found it threatening. Somewhere, in there was her key to information about her friend, and she wanted it badly. But equally, somewhere in there was someone she would have to chat up and hope that Femme was out of the bathroom soon enough to come and rescue her from having to kiss some potentially gross dude. Though Femme did say find a cute guy. So find a cute guy she would.<p>

Fionna only wobbled once in the heels as she stepped out, grateful that the lesson Gumball had interrupted yesterday morning had been walking in heels. She hadn't had much practice, but she had had enough not to make a fool of herself and she carefully tiptoed between people as she looked for someone that appeared to be available. She chewed on her lip for a second then made a mental checklist of things she should be doing.  
>Stand up straight, stick your tits out.<br>Purse your lips just slightly and blow a tiny little bubble through them, then leave them in that position.  
>Feet straight, hips side to side. Loose, slow steps.<br>These were all tips Femme had absentmindedly imparted when she had been walking up and down over and over again as she tried to get used to the feeling of shaking her butt. it still felt weird. And doing all of this felt like she was being ostentatious, and while she had no problem with that, being sexually ostentatious was more of a problem. It felt ridiculous. How could this be sexy?  
>Fionna somehow had managed, while she was thinking and concentrating, to thread her way through the crowd and out of it and suddenly found herself walking past one of the mirror walls. A tall, curvaceous woman in a navy blue dress and a white rabbit hat glanced at her as she walked past, then stared at her with open shock when she did a double-take a stepped back.<p>

Fionna had never thought of herself as being pretty. She had bits of fat on her hips and her stomach and thighs that she could pinch and which never seemed to go away no matter how hard she adventured. She had a spatter of freckles across her nose and buck teeth and the ends of her hair was ratty and split.  
>But the woman in the mirror was clearly her. She still looked awkward and uncomfortable because she knew herself well enough to tell, inspite of her relaxed expression.<br>But she didn't look half bad while being so.

' To be fair, if I looked like you did I'd probably stare at mirrors a lot too.' Fionna heard a mellow english accent say, and she turned to find a very pretty brunette woman smiling at her. Her hair was short and spiky, sort of like Marshall-lee's but different. She was wearing red lipstick and a matching coloured red minidress with knee-height white lace-up high-heeled boots. She had wide hips and a small but pert chest and a slight crows foot next to her amber coloured eyes indicated she was quite a bit older than Fionna. Exactly how much older though, it was impossible to tell, because if it weren't for the topaz eyes and a slight point on the tip of her ears, she could've been a human.  
>' W-what? Oh no, I was just checking I didn't have any wine on me, my friend spilled her drink and she just went to the bathroom to clean up.' Fionna lied quickly, smiling at the woman. She laughed, her white teeth contrasting with the red lipstick and her dark skin.<br>' Ah, I'm sure you were dear. There's no shame in a quick onceover to see if one is still looking gorgeous. I can assure you that you are though.' The woman told her, smiling genially and looking her up and down quickly. Fionna blushed as the woman took a drink, and stuttered some sort of thanks. Her grin became wider as she watched the red-faced adventuress.  
>' You're simply adorable, in fact. My name is Kitty. And who might you be?'<br>' M-my name is Fionna.' She replied, the fact that she was being hit on by a girl slowly dawning. Oh gob, this was an unprecedented situation. She knew that it happened and she had no problem with that- Love was love after all, and sex was just weird- but she just hadn't considered that she would be attractive to anyone, let alone girls as well as boys.  
>' Fionna. A name as pretty as you are.' Kitty replied, and stepped in closer when Fionna blushed harder and stuttered meaningless noises.<br>' l-look, Kitty, I'm very flattered but I-I...' Kitty smiled at her and raised her glass to Fionna's lips. Fionna was already taken off guard so she swallowed automatically, too surprised to consider whether she should. The drink tasted rather sweet with a hidden sharpness somewhere underneath it, and a faint tang of citrus. It was actually quite nice.  
>' Let me guess, you've never done this before? You're only young, I can see that. Arent' you curious? Don't you want to know what it's like?' Kitty whispered to her seductively, taking the glass away from her and sipping from it herself before placing it on a nearby table. Fionna swallowed nervously and ran her tongue around her lips, about to tell Kitty that no, she really wasn't, not for women at least. However, the movement and the fact that her face was rather expressionless combined to make it look like she was finally responding, and Kitty placed her hands on Fionna's waist and kissed her open mouthed, greatly shocking her. (Down in the nightosphere, Marshall, who was furiously playing his guitar and trying to ignore his packed duffel bag after chickening out for the third time, hit a wrong note and was suddenly filled with a deep, stomach-twisting sense of anger and jealousy.)<br>Fionna was about to push Kitty off of her after regaining her thought process, but the older woman held her tightly and Fionna felt her tongue snake between her lips and start to explore her mouth in a way Flame Prince had never had the courage to do. The sensation was alien and Fionna wasn't sure whether she liked it or not, but it had surprised her enough that she hesitated in pushing Kitty away.  
>Hey, a little practice wouldn't be such a bad thing, right?<br>Even as she thought it, the rest of her mind screamed at her that that was completely insane, but she had already started to kiss back so that voice was drowned out by sensation. Kitty was much older than her and she clearly, obviously knew what she was doing, the opposite of Flame Prince (She had never kissed Marshall on the lips, so there was no point of comparison there.) She guided smoothly and her mouth tasted exactly like the drink she had pressed onto Fionna a minute ago, and Fionna vaguely wondered whether it was getting her drunk. Her eyes popped open when she felt Kitty's hands slide down onto her ass, and then she noticed Femme standing in the crowd watching her with open-mouthed surprise.  
>Fuck.<p>

' Fionna? Are you okay, did I do something wrong?' Kitty asked innocently, noticing Fionna's sudden stiffness. Fionna failed to reply, her mouth working silently as Femme shook her head slowly, blinking incredulously as her mouth flickered upwards into a half-smile for a mere moment before she suddenly looked shocked and betrayed.  
>' F-Fionna? What are you doing? I-I thought that tonight... You and me coming here was... How could you!?' She screamed, sounding like she was nearly in tears, before turning around and blazing through the crowd, sprinting through the doors as they banged open. Kitty, who had looked past Fionna and had seen the rather convincing display, looked back at her with a mixture of surprise and strangely, guilt. Fionna, simultaneously thanking and cursing all of the G's, gritted her teeth and raised her eyebrows apologetically then ran out after Femme, tipping more to the cursing side as she tottered in the heels, eventually just kicking them off once she made it out the door.<p>

' Femme, just stop now!' Fionna yelled after her when they had left the part of the Candy Kingdom the bar resided and were now walking through empty cobblestone streets of residences. Femme had worn herself out by running for so long (she was skinny, not fit) and the fact that she had doubled over laughing was not helping. By the time Fionna reached her, she was on all fours alternating between gasping for air and loosing it all with huge belly laughs.  
>' Oh... My gob... I don't know... What I expected... Haha, what I expected to see... When I came back but it... definitely wasn't that! Haha...' Fionna sighed and shook her head, sitting down on the edge of the sidewalk and glaring at Femme's shoulder blades.<br>' Oh, grow up. She started it.' Fionna muttered reluctantly.  
>' She!' Femme spluttered and collapsed onto her side, a fresh wave of laughs starting up and nearly suffocating her.<br>' Yes, she! But I didn't want her to before she started kissing me, and I still wasn't sure even when she was. She came on to me, and she was so fast at it I literally didn't have the time to say no.' Fionna growled at her indignantly, tomato-faced and highly bothered. Femme was slowly recovering herself and eventually she rolled into an upright position, still shaking with the occasional chuckle.  
>' Yeah, but you still could've once she started... I had no idea you swung that way, EB. I thought you were straight as a plank.'<br>' I-I don't even know what that means!' Fionna stammered indignantly, and Femme took one look at her and began laughing again, though not with quite as much gusto as she had at first.  
>' Look, it's just a phrase that people use when they're talking about whether someone is gay or not. Same with swinging. Someone who is straight only likes someone of the opposite sex, while someone who's gay only likes people of the same sex, and someone who's bisexual likes both. There are more types than that but those are the three you're most likely to come across. Not sure if your girl was gay or bi but either way, same result.' Femme smirked, showing her teeth.<br>' Oh, shut your stupid face. A-and I don't swing that way, I don't like girls! '  
>' Well, then why were you kissing one? There's no problem with it, hell I'd get me some of that action, she was hot.'<br>' W-wait, what?'  
>' I'm bisexual Fionna, and heads up, so is Marshall-lee. Though I know he prefers women now. But he was fully into dudes for a while, which for some reason only made the female fans love him more, it was really strange.' Fionna processed this for a second then shook her head vigorously, raising her hands.<br>' Okay, fine, but I don't like girls! I wasn't attracted to her, I-I mean she was clearly pretty and all that but when she was kissing me I didn't feel like how I do when I'm with Flame Prince or when Marshall was on top of me, she just kissed differently to how I've ever been kissed before and I wanted to see what else was different. I've only ever kissed one person before and-' Femme could see that Fionna would justify until she was blue in the face so she reached out and clapped a hand over Fionna's mouth, instantly silencing her.  
>' Look, it doesn't matter, I was just surprised is all. The gender of who you're attracted to doesn't concern moi, the part that concerns me is that I thought you wanted Marshall, so what are you doing frenching some random?' Fionna tugged Femme's fingers away.<br>' I told you, she came onto me!'  
>' Okay okay, I got it, don't bust an artery or something, cheesus.' Fionna sighed heavily and threw Femme a look, before rubbing a hand down her face and staring down at the walkway between her feet. Impulsively, she reached down and dug a hunk out of the road, starting to chew on it moodily. She offered half to Femme who shrugged and took it, and they ate in silence for a few minutes.<p>

' It's really weird how you can literally eat anything here.' Femme mumbled pensively before taking another bite.  
>' So... You and Gumball.' Fionna replied. Femme froze before slowly resuming, casting a glance towards Fionna before she swallowed.<br>' I told you to pick up a cute guy-'  
>' Save it, that's not going to work. We had a deal, you promised.' Fionna interrupted her and Femme sighed.<br>' Yeah, I know. But it'd be so much easier to screw you over. But you, you in particular, make it real hard for a person to do that.' She paused for a moment, twining her fingers together.  
>' I kinda feel sorry for Marshall. You're gonn a make him love you till you die, and he'll be heartbroken when you do.' She said sadly, and Fionna blinked at her for a second, before deciding not to comment, as it could easily become a whole 'nother conversation and she'd never get the story of Femme and Gumball.<p>

Femme waited for a couple seconds, hoping that Fionna would take the bait, but she remained stubbornly silent, watching her with an unbroken stare. So haltingly, reluctantly, Femme started to speak:  
>' Like I said, Gumball used to manage the band. Back then, he and Marshall were like best friends, y'know? It turns out... No, I'll start at the beginning. Gumball and I, we didn't really... go out, it was more that we were a couple but we never really acknowledged that that was what we were, or at least I didn't.' Femme glanced towards Fionna then looked back at the ground. The adventuress was riveted, fully focused on the story.<br>' I'm probably smarter than you think I am, and Gumball was the only guy I ever knew who could match me like that. I liked him a lot more than I'd ever liked anyone, and I didn't like that, if that makes sense. I had a real lone-wolf mentality then, and I didn't want to be in love with someone. So I would cheat on him, sort of, 'cause like I said, we were never really... But I knew that was how he felt and it scared me because that was how I felt too, so I still did it to keep myself away from him just enough that I could convince myself I wasn't about to be tied down by a freaking candyman. I wasn't sure whether I wanted him to catch me at it or not, but he's smart, so he figured it out. That's when I realised that I was being fucking stupid, but he was incredibly hurt, a-and then he and Marsh fell out over something- It ended with Marshall putting the band on hiatus, so it was probably to do with that somehow- and of course, without the band, I had no reason to see him and he deffo didn't wanna see me.' Femme sat back up and raised her hands, shrugging before letting her palms fall back onto her thighs with a clap.  
>' I haven't seen the guy for more'n a century, EB. And people can change a lot in that much time. I don't wanna know how he's changed, and I especially don't wanna know if it's my fault if he has. I can get a damn good fuck whenever I feel like it, but what happened between us wasn't just sex, and that hasn't happened between me and anyone else since.'<br>' But you miss him, right?' Femme's eyebrows creased together and she sent a shocked glance over at Fionna, who was watching her intently. The adventuress rolled her eyes.  
>' Oh, don't look so surprised. I'm probably smarter than you think too, or maybe it's just a lucky guess. Even if I can't sub-atomic calculus divide a fraction, I can tell when someone's lonely.'<br>' I'm not-' Femme began to protest but Fionna held up a hand and pressed her thumb into the middle of her four other fingers, moving it in and out like a mouth while her own lips did the same.  
>' Words, words, words. You're actually pretty good with them. But if you loved him and he loved you back, it was your fault he stopped and you haven't loved anyone since, then obviously you still love him and you m-'<p>

' Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold the _fuck_ up, sweetheart. I never said I _loved_ the guy, Cheesus rice. I liked him, a lot. But I've never been in love, and I have no fucking clue whether he ever loved me.'  
>' Don't be so dramatic, or at least stop being so. If you're still hung up on him centuries later, to the point where you can't even handle a casual hello, of course you loved him.' Fionna said matter-of-factly, shaking her head at Femme.<br>' Even if I've only had one boyfriend, I can read, and I know lots of couples. Gimme some credit, Miss Know-It-All.' Fionna told her, smiling when Femme scowled at her.  
>' Right. But love is a strong word- Look, I get why you wanted to know, but I don't want your help, got it? I'm the agony aunt here, and therapists don't consult their clients. I don't need you to save me, okay?' She snapped bluntly. Fionna appeared surprised and a little hurt, but after a few moments she simply shrugged, taking on an expression of disinterest that Femme didn't trust one little bit.<br>' Okay, fine. I won't bug you about it anymore.' She stood up and dusted off her backside as Femme squinted up at her skeptically.  
>' I mean it, Fionna. Don't try and play cupid, alright?'<br>' I won't. But that's rich coming from you.' She said, bouncing off easily into the sunrise. Femme watched her go, becoming as worried as she was suspicious. Fionna was as stubborn as she was, no way was she letting it go that easy. Dear gob, she hadn't realised this sweet little girl could scheme. What was she plotting!?  
>' Fionna, I'm serious, butt out of my love life!' Femme called after her, standing up quickly and staggering slightly in her haste to catch up with the blonde.<br>' I could say the same to you.'  
>' ...Touche, but seriously don't try anything.'<br>' Okay, I get it.'  
>' Fionna...'<br>' Alright!'

**Author's note: She's not butting out, not in a million years. Also, Kitty _may_ appear again, it all depends on how long y'all want this story to be. If you'd like it to continue past the uh, intial fuck-fest, lemme know because I'd rather not waste time that I could focus on other stories if that's all you guys are hanging out for, yeah? Marshall begins next chapter, and he'll be back in Aaa very, very soon so keep an eye out folks!**

** -WRA**


	15. Chapter 15- Now Everbody's Indecisive

Marshall caught himself running his fingers through his hair _again_, as he sprawled exhausted over the twisted sweat-soaked sheets of his bed, panting shallowly. His dreams were quickly becoming more and more vivid and elaborate and downright kinky, so much so that he was usually more tired when he woke up then when he had fallen asleep. The adrenaline and the hormones that immediately consumed his system when he let his guard down prevented him from properly resting, and it was wearing him out so much, expecially when pared with the grind of being in a constant state of mild arousal. There was no way he'd be able to survive this feeling for the requisite amount of time, no way in hell. He'd probably be in a lava pit if you gave him a couple more weeks.  
>Because he just couldn't do it. He couldn't risk it. He could easily be called a coward but with his mind so focused on her, he just couldn't bring himself to risk breaking the beautiful, precious parts of her innocent, faithful personality that his mind had discovered and obsessed over. He'd lived a thousand years already, she had only lived fucking sixteen. Going would be selfish, and callous, and insensitive and yeah that was textbook for him. With someone he didn't know. Dammit, he fucking cared about that rabbit though, he didn't want that chip on his shoulder! He'd fucked with enough people(in both senses of the phrase), and the ones who ought to be fucked with too, a girl like her didn't deserve that crap so he wouldn't give her any. He just wouldn't.<br>But gob. Staying here was torture. Laying a hand on the side of his chest now he wasn't sure but he felt like he was skinnier. Wouldn't be surprising, he lost weight easily on the normal, gob knows what all this stress was doing to him.

When his breathing had returned to a more relaxed pace, Marshall slowly got up off the bed, pressing forcefully into his eye sockets with the base of his palms and then his fingertips, before reaching over and picking up the mirror from his desk. He still found his reflection a novelty, but even he could see he looked like shit. The undersides of his eyes were a deep, blackish-purple bruised colour, and his pale skin had an unhealthy greyish tinge replacing the usual blue. He actually looked like a corpse for once. Unsurprising, considering he'd been in the underworld for about a week, maybe a little longer now. He didn't really pay attention to the days, they just came and went, while he came and went back to sleep. He attempted to pass as much time passed out as possible. It was a frustrating, teeth-gnawing, tear-inducingly tedious existence. This was the first time he had really felt like a member of the undead.  
>After changing his clothes, Marshall-lee sulkily floated out of his room and down onto the third floor to go and find something to eat, noting with little interest that it was night-time again. His sleeping pattern, as fractured and pointless as it was, didn't conform to night or day down here, doubly considering the only real difference between the two was whether the lights were on or not. Ain't no sunshine in the Nightosphere.<p>

Marshall drifted past an annex in a corridor and suddenly felt a large hand clamp itself around his upper arm, greatly startingly him. He nearly cried out in surprise but instead settled for a dull look of indignance when he recognised who had pulled him out the way.  
>'Alexander? The fuck are you doing, man?' He asked in confusion, before the older vampire cut him off.<br>' I could ask you the same thing, what the hell are you still doing here? You look like shit.'  
>' Thanks, I've noticed.' Marshall deadpanned, and Alexander rolled his eyes, folding his arms.<br>' Less of the attitude. I told you to go back to her, why haven't you?' Marshall was slightly confused by his tone; it sounded almost authorative, and he was the one with the higher ranking.  
>' Because I haven't.'<br>' Man, c'mon, don't give me bullshit.'  
>' Because I can't, then. Look, you don't know what she's like. I don't wanna be the guy responsible for fucking up someone like her.' Alexander's brow furrowed and he shook his head uncomprehendingly.<br>' How is fucking her fucking her up?'  
>' Not necessarily that, but- She's just so... Look, she is literally the most uncynical, unjaded person I've ever met, in forever. She believes in shit, and I don't want to be the reason she stops. If she ends up with a baby and all I can say is sorry toots, it's just my nature, what the hell will that do to the way she processes future relationships?' Marshall had begun talking half to himself, physically voicing his opinions for the first time. Alexander watched him silently, betraying no emotion as Marshall-lee gesticulated wildly with one hand and the other stayed firmly clenched in his hair.<br>' I'd be her first sexually, and she would make it romantic no matter what, so how can I take all that innocence and purity and risk it on my fucking heat season? There's absolutely no guarantee that when this is all over I won't just feel nothing, absolutely nothing for her, and I don't.. I c-can't-'  
>' So you're telling me that the reason why you're killing yourself down here is because you're afraid of responsibility?' Marshall whipped around and glared at the stony-faced man, unwittingly baring his teeth.<br>' No! I'm killing myself because I don't want to kill every part of her that matters.'  
>' Who the fuck is saying that by sleeping with her that's what you'll do? It's not like this is a one and done situation, you'll have as long as you're 'on' to explain yourself to her.' Alexander tilted his head to the side and unfolded his arms, thrusting his hands into his trouser pockets.<br>' You also said if _she_ ends up with a baby. That's fucking impersonal considering it's your baby you're talking about. And I'd hope that my king would take care of the legal heir to the throne of the vampires.' Marshall flared a hand towards Alexander, his face becoming panicked.  
>' See, that right there! I hadn't even thought of that, if I get her pregnant then the kid will be a fucking vampire prince. How the hell will she deal with that? And if it's more vampire than human will she even be able to raise it or will I have to do it by myself!?'<br>' I've told you not to get her pregnant but if you do make a baby with her, you'll just have to pull your head out of your ass and take care of it. You're only a few hundred years younger than me, don't be such a child.' Marshall growled at Alexander dramatically and took a swing at him, which the trained guard easily dodged. Foiled, he simply sort of drooped and slid down against the wall defeatedly. Alexander sighed, and dropped down into a crouch next to him.  
>' Look, I can see now that you're scared. I don't know exactly why but given how concerned you are with protecting her from you, I'm pretty sure this girl may mean more to you then you want to admit. Like I said, I've never heard of a chaste imprint, so perhaps I was wrong when I said that she's probably just the start. The fact that you're half-demon because of dear old mumsy might mean first time's the charm.'<br>' Al, you are not helping, at all.' Marshall mumbled into his knees, his head wrapped up in his forearms. The older sighed again.  
>' For the love of... If I have to, I swear I'll drag you back up there myself so you can get on with fake-procreating little vampire-human-' Alexander cut himself off, suddenly comprehending the information he had heard but not realised.<br>' She's... human?'  
>' Yes, she is. Last one in existence. I told you, you don't know what she's like. To be the way she is when she's the last survivor of species-wide genocide...' Marshall laughed weakly, tipping his head back against the wall. 'She's something, alright.'<br>Alexander paused for a second, suddenly realising his 'first time's the charm' comment was a little more correct than he had thought. But after a quick glance at Marshall, which reminded him of the kid's easily rattled sense of stability, he decided not to share his epiphany.  
>' You can say that again.'<p>

He hesitated, trying to think how he could get this miserable sack of sexual frustration off the floor and out of the nightosphere.  
>' Marshall-lee, seriously. Even if it's mostly just a title, you're still king of the vampires, and the way you are now I can't call you sir, heck I can't even call you Mister. If your subjects found out about how wrecked you are it could get messy and revolutionary.'<br>' I don't give a fuck.'  
>' Well then how about get the fuck up, you pathetic idiot, and stop being so whiny and irresponsible? Does that work?'<br>' Nope.' Alexander rubbed one of his temples, trying to keep his composure.  
>' Go. And. Talk. To. Her. Or hell, I'll go do it for you, let her know that you need her help-' Marshall's arm shot out suddenly and he clutched at Alexander's wrist.<br>' Don't do that. You tell her I need help and then she'll do whatever it takes and I won't be able to tell her why she shouldn't.'  
>' Well then <em>go<em>. Or I swear on your mother, that is what I will do.' Marshall glared at Alexander for a few moments then grunted and pulled himself to his feet.  
>' Lemme go take a shower first.' He grumbled, sauntering off moodily down the hall.<p>

Alexander watched him go and rolled his eyes, feeling a complicated combination of emotions, pity being one of the stronger ones. It would be hard to live life stuck with the brain of a teenager, and even harder to deal with something like this. The kid wasn't doing great at the moment but well, Alexander believed that he and his mate could be very happy together.  
>Fancy that the king of the vampires just had to know the one female that any vampire could permanently imprint on. It wasn't the same as loving her, but he knew that humans were the most sexually compatible because there wasn't any magical corruption on their end. Were, that was. Almost all vampire imprints had been on humans before the mushroom wars, and only after it was assumed they had all died out did multiple imprint partners become the norm.<br>This was the epiphany he had opted to hide from Marshall, as letting him know he had unwittingly found his lifemate could freak him out big time. In this situation, even if the poor kid had hated her, he still would've imprinted on her because of what she is. And he'll probably keep doing so, the guard reasoned as he went to take up his post for night watch. So for his sake and hers, Alexander hoped that Marshall and this human girl could get along for the rest of her lifetime.

* * *

><p>' Cake, I see the looks you're giving me.' Fionna sighed as she carried the feline in her arms while they walked through a rugged desert landscape. Large boulder formations and the occasional rocky outcrop erupted out of the desert around them, with small, bone-dry plants trying to carve a living in the unforgiving sand. Cake, with all of her fur, had become far too hot to walk by herself so Fionna had opted to carry her rather than stick her in her bag. She never knew when she might need morning-star mode.<br>However, she was beginning to feel a little regretful about telling Femme to stay away and let her spend some time with her sister after their antics yesterday (This morning). She had begun to grow rather attached to her new outfit and the sense of badass empowerment it gave her, but Cake's constant judgemental eye made her feel self-conscious and guilty, the kid with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar.  
>' I'm not gonna tell you what to wear honey, you've made it pretty clear you ain't listening even if I do. But it's still um, a rather big difference, so it'll take me a while to get used to it.' Fionna nodded begrudgingly.<br>' But even so, can you not look so... disappointed?' Cake blinked up at her and Fionna suddenly found paws were on her cheeks.  
>' Fionna, <em>no<em>. No sweetpuff, you could never disappoint me, I'm just... This is like, only the second or third time you and I have ever had such a big difference of opinion is all, and I-I'm kind of afraid that you growing up will mean it'll happen more often.' Fionna tilted her head to the side and gave her cat a squeeze, accepting Cake's hug in return.  
>' No way, jose. You an' me will be partners forever, sis. Femme fatales, that's us.'<p>

Cake felt like she was about to cry. She couldn't reconcile Fionna's apparent vision of the future with how she was changing as she became older. What if by the time she was eighteen, she had changed her mind completely and wanted to go off and live her own life sans Cake? Somehow, she had always believed that was what it would eventually come to, no matter how much Fionna seemed to rely on her companionship. The adventuress didn't _need_ her around anymore, and she hated knowing that. And if she met someone, to fill her need for love as well, then her safe, familiar, boring older sister might become a little too... meh.  
>She had thought she would be prepared, but Fionna was as much her daughter and best friend as she was her little sister. She wasn't ready and after this, she wasn't sure she ever would be, but she didn't want to break the relationship they had built by holding on too tight. It was seemingly impossible not to, though.<p>

' Where are we going to anyways?' Cake asked, letting go and settling happily into Fionna's arms, deciding to brush aside her worries and live in the moment.  
>' I need to check up on Gumball. I have no idea what his thingymawhatsit he needed my help with was about, but chances are it was dangerous so I wanna make sure he hasn't like, accidentally blown his butt off or something. I just felt like going this way because I can.'<br>' Girl, what is whitchu and Gumball's butt?' Cake smirked at her, eyebrows cocked teasingly. Fionna blushed and her jaw dropped in outrage.  
>' Eewwww! That's gross, Cake. You're gross.'<br>' So then it wasn't Gumball you were kissing the other day?'  
>' Ew ew ew ew, no! He's like my brother now Cake, that's yuck!' Cake laughed and made faces at Fionna until she giggled as she rounded a corner and the dry sand beneath her feet abruptly changed to caramelised sugar as they reached the edge of one of the Candy Kingdom territories.<br>' So who was it then?'  
>' Mind your own business!'<p>

Femme winced as the taste of blood filled her mouth. She drew her finger back from her lips in disgust and stared at the ragged torn nail bed. That was the third one, and bleeding, scabbed hands so did not look pretty. Though why the fuck he would look at her hands, she had no idea. For some reason, she had decided a navy long-sleeved crop jersey with a red bra, torn up black jeans with chain, and red lipstick with louboutins was her best choice for attire. She looked like a fucking dominatrix after hours, especially with her stomach tattoos and her belly ring in. What was she even _doing_ here, she asked herself for the fiftieth time as she awkwardly crouched with her back against one of the delicious walls of Gumball's stately candy palace. He was so fucking flashy, but then again so was she, his was just a little more glamour, while she was far more grunge.

Talking about it, finally letting herself dredge up those thoughts and memories after so long had increased her desire to see him tenfold. She had always been a sucker for temptation, and if she were a cat she would've been dead nine times over by now for her curiosity. As much as she didn't want to see how he'd changed, she _so_ did. And she also wanted to know if he was still mad. Having an answer to the former would also answer whether she should care about the latter. If he hadn't changed and no, he wasn't still mad well... she hadn't actually really thought that far. If he was still mad she uh, didn't have an action plan for that either. And if he wasn't who she wanted him to be... That was why she had remained crouched and immobile against the wall for some time.

Fucking Fionna, it was all her fault with her 'of course you love him.' shit. She had never thought she loved him, but she had always considered him the one that got away. She believed she had had the propensity to love him, and because of that he had become her yardstick but no-one else had quite managed to measure up so far.  
>Though if she was in love with him, then that meant that even if she met someone who matched up to him, it wouldn't matter because they still wouldn't be her Mew-mew. He was just so <em>unique<em>, and the little things that were off about anyone that came after, the tiny details she never would've believed she would miss fucked it all up.

But whether that man with all his eccentricities still existed, after the centuries that had passed, she didn't know.  
>And that was how it should stay.<br>But- But-... Ugh. She started biting on a new nail again.

' So you have no clue what his thingummyblobwhatever was for?'  
>' Nope, no clue.' Fionna replied cheerily as she and her cat rolled up to the palace, having traded places with Fionna riding comfortably on the cat's back as she padded easily over the soft candy paving.<br>' I mean, it's not like his experiments go wrong all the time, but when the do it tends to be pretty spectacular. Like the zombies, right?' Fionna explained as Cake waltzed up to the front door.  
>' So I think it should just kinda be our policy to check up on h- Oh my glob.' Fionna cut herself off as she absently glanced over to the candy gardens and spied a familiar brunette figure hunched against a wall.<br>' Cake, Cake stop stop _stop_.' She whispered hurriedly, getting off of her and slithering down her side. Cake shrunk back down and watched, confused, as Fionna tiptoed sneakily over to the side of the wall and peeked around it carefully, before turning back around and flattening against it, her eyes full of stars and one hand clapped disbelievingly over her open mouth.  
>' What, what is it baby?' Cake asked in hushed tones, mimicking Fionna.<br>' Shush, just be very quiet and do _exactly_ as I say.'  
>' But what-'<br>' I said shush!'

' Get her, now!' Femme yelped and leapt up in surprise at such a loud sound suddenly blaring right next to her, but before she had time to process it she was suddenly enveloped in plushy mounds of fur, which quickly shrunk down into a binding surrounding her arms and holding her just slightly off of the ground.  
>' Fionna, I don't understand why we're doing this.' Femme suddenly felt a pair of humanoid hands grab her wrists, which were pinned to her sides and tug them together behind her.<br>' Okay, you can let her go, I got 'er.' Femme recognised the voice and let out a loud cry of indignance.  
>' You <em>bitch<em>, what the fuck do you think you're doing?!' She yelled, glaring over her shoulder at a pair of rabbit ears. Fionna looked at her and upon seeing her thunderstruck expression, simply shrugged unrepentantly.  
>' I know I promised, but c'mon. You <em>love<em> him, and he could use a ladyfriend.' Cake suddenly butt in again, appearing slightly scandalised at Femme's colourful language. Really, the nerve of today's youth!  
>' Fionna, who is this chick and why're we catching her?! Who's ladyfriend?' She demanded, and Fionna looked up and shook her head with mild impatience, apparently only just remembering that the pair didn't really know each other.<br>' Femme, Cake, Cake, Femme.'  
>' Let me go!'<br>' Cake, help me with this, she's a shapeshifter so she'll scarper if we let her.' Cake, still a little worried that Fionna had gone bonkers and they were kidnapping a random lady, nervously helped Fionna drag the struggling woman with them through the side doors and into the palace.

' Fionna I swear to gob, if you don't let me go right now I will never help you with anything ever again.' Femme hissed menacingly as they carried her up some steps like a pair of flatmates hauling a particularly unwieldy couch.  
>' So be it, but if you and Gumball work out you'll want to do everything for me.' Fionna replied impassively, determined to do what she believed was the right thing. Cake was finding being constantly left int he dark very tedious, and tried to get her many questions answered again.<br>' Fionna, helping you with what, how do you know this chick? And what's with her and Gumball?' Fionna chose to strategically ignore the first statement and instead dropped a bombshell to make her forget it.  
>' Femme is Gumball's ex, it was her fault they broke up and she still loves him .' She hurriedly told her, to Femme's noises of scandalised anger.<br>' That is _completely_ untrue-' But Cake was already off in Mills-&-Boon la la land, cartoonish love hearts practically visible in her eyes.  
>' Oh Cheesus, and she's felt so guilty because of it that she just couldn't bring herself to speak to him so you and me are dragging them back together so they can rekindle the flames of their passion?!'<br>' _What FUCKING passion!?-_' Femme cried, struggling even harder and nearly bursting into tears of frustration and anxiety.  
>' Yes, that's exactly what we're doing. Ignore her, she's in denial.' Fionna stated matter-of-factly as Femme began cursing them both out, attempting to shape-change but finding herself too emotionally stressed to concentrate the requisite amount. Cake easily stretched out of the way of a flailing stilleto heel as Femme managed to wriggled one of her leg's from the cat's grasp. She didn't fucking want this, she didn't want to see him, not when she was so unsure of herself-<br>' Fionna! Fionna, I saw him, he's in that one!' Cake hissed melodramatically, growing an extra pair of arms and flailing them in a noodly display of excitement. Fionna grinned and bounced once as Femme whined in fright and writhed desperately.  
>' Cake, hold her.' Fionna said firmly, a spark of determination gleaming in her eye. Cake, who was now throughly invested, did so without protest, grinning over Femme's shoulder at the adventuress as Fionna grabbed both sides of Femme's face and forced the older woman to look at her.<br>' Look, if there's anything I've learned from you that I'll actually find useful in everyday life, it's that if you're brave, you gotta be brave everywhere. Even when it comes to your heart guts junk. You tell me to be confident, now you girl, you gotta be confident. Go in there and get your man back.'  
>' No!'<br>' Don't make me push you in there so that you're fallin' at his feet.' Femme scowled at her, literally on the verge of tears, before she sighed defeatedly and shook off Cake's hold, brushing fur off of her clothing angrily.  
>' Fionna the Human, I hate your fucking guts.' She growled, fixing her hair and hiking up her jeans, fiddling with the belt and dusting off her backside to remove any dirt that remained from squatting outside.<br>' I don't care, you're my friend and I'm not gonna let you be miserable.' Fionna replied firmly, and Femme rolled her eyes cruelly, giving a short derisive huff. She had only know her for like, a week. They weren't fucking friends yet, and Femme was only playing with her emotions anyways. Stupid girl.  
>Femme puffed her cheeks out and bubbled her lips apprehensively as Cake and Fionna hid in a corner where they'd hopefully be unnoticeable to the occupants of the lab but still in perfect view of their reunion.<br>' Gumball could do with some lovin' too, it might make him less of a stick-in-the-mud.' Cake whispered to Fionna, who nodded vigorously, hands curled up to her chest excitedly.  
>'That's what I meant, and I just <em>know<em> that she misses him.'

Hand on the door handle, Femme delivered a parting middle finger to the pair, then opened the door and casually stepped inside, sidling over and leaning against the wall. She tried to stay calm as she waited for Gumball to noticed the door was open.  
>Gob, the boy's looks certainly hadn't changed much. His glasses seemed perhaps a little thicker, his hairstyle was perhaps a little less messy and a little more swooshy. But he still had that same lanky build on that small frame, that prominent Adam's apple and delicate brow adorned with large, masculine eyebrows. She even recognised the intense focus on his face, he'd worn it in rather different situations to this when he was with her.<br>He still looked like her Mew-mew. Ugh, her heart.  
>He was concentrating very hard on a pile of papers, looking up at his machine- it appeared to be a collider of sorts- So he only glanced towards her for a second before going back to them, then suddenly staring up at her and his whole body cringed in surprise, the papers in his hand becoming crumpled as his fingers involuntarily contracted. Femme watched him impassively, trying to consume the panic that welled up in her chest with nonchalance, then she quirked up one corner of her lips in a gentle smirk.<br>' Hey, Mew-mew.' She saw his sharp intake of breathe at the nickname, and she couldn't tell whether he was furious or about to cry with the undercurrent to his shock that suddenly appeared.  
>' What... What are you doing here?'<p>

**Author's note: So uh... yeah. That just happened. Marshall comes back next chapter, or at least I think he does, but as most of y'all can probably guess it's mostly gonna be all about these two. Whoo boy, prepare for fireworks.**

Guest reviews:

**Woaahhhbroooo - ****Uh... I think you got me wrong. Marshall's saying he draws the line before sadism and rape. "****terrorising, stealing, manipulating, general dickishness? Fine. Sadism and Rape? No. He was evil, but he wasn't psychotic." As for the accusation of pedophilia, I'm not quite sure where that comes from. Physically, Marshall is a young adult, and mentally he reasons and thinks as one too. His actual chronological age has no bearing on either of these things, and his mental age is more important than his actual in his relationship with Fionna, or so I believe. As for Fionna's age, sixteen is the age of consent in my country so I have decided that it isn't inappropriate. If you think he's a pedophile simply for being a thousand-year-old teenager, then firstly why are you reading Fiolee? Secondly, if that indeed be the case, you sir may have all my fuck yous. Thanks for the review though, and I hope I cleared up any misunderstandings that may have occurred?****  
><strong>

**JayKay- Well, the show must go on then it seems. And I'll try my best!**

2K15- *snaps finger and points* Why thank you. Yes, you are exactly right, Femme is Guy's genderbend. I decided to make her a shapeshifter rather than a changeling because it just seemed more convenient. Thank you for the review

**Keep 'em coming guys, and don't be afraid to send me an essay, I love that shit!**

** -WRA**


	16. Chapter 16- Back In Town

Femme.  
><em>Femme.<em>  
>How long had it been since he'd seen that smirk?<br>' Hey, Mew-mew.' She said and Gumball had to stop himself from wincing as he realised he could still tell when she was faking her attitude. She wasn't nearly as relaxed as she was attempting to appear to be.  
>He wanted to say something, to speak, but his memory was flooding his brain with so much information there wasn't enough room for oral planning. The sound of that low, vaguely accented voice brought back so much. She'd only changed superficially in the slightest, her hair had been just a little longer- but she could change it at will so it wasn't like she couldn't be exactly as he remembered in the blink of an eye.<br>He could recall the way that hair felt between his fingers. He could recall the way her fingers felt between his. He could recall the feeling of her nails in his shoulders, her knees locked tight against his hips with the denim of her jeans rubbing his skin raw.  
>He remembered how odd it had seemed that her mouth didn't taste sweet when sweetness was the only flavour he'd ever really known.<br>The way they had been together, how they had talked and how she'd constantly evaded his efforts to understand her. How hurt and hollow he had felt when he saw her with that gobdamned woman. He had never known why, and he had stopped wanting to know years ago.  
>But seeing her again made him remember. He didn't want to remember what he had buried.<p>

' What... What are you doing here?' He managed to condense all his thoughts into that. She knew what she had done to him so how did she think she could just smile at him like that?  
>' Marshall-lee needed my help. I was around so I... figured I would stop by.' She replied, her words more tentative than her greeting had been. It mollified him somewhat, to realise she hadn't forgotten, but he was in no way appeased.<br>' I.. I, uh-' Gumball shook his head and dropped his papers on the desk, adjusting his glasses with his free hand.  
>' What... What did Marshall-lee need your help with?' Ever the gentlemen, even in his shock he wouldn't go right for the jugular. Femme blinked at him, then closed the door next to her, hoping that the lab was soundproofed. Given that he hadn't noticed her screaming at EB and co. while they were carrying her up the stairs, she figured it was likely. She could lie of course, to avoid giving the game away to Fi, but Gumball had always had an uncanny knack for telling when she was bullshitting.<br>Gumball flinched slightly when she took a couple of steps towards him, her heels pacing out a slow beat across the floor as she folded her arms.  
>' Marshall's in love with your... errand girl? Fionna.' Femme stopped a couple feet away from him and sat down on the edge of the worktable. She glanced at him then looked at the floor.<br>' You know what he was like with women. He's afraid of how he's feeling, so much so that he's run off to the Nightosphere. Obviously I can't go down there so I'm waiting here until he gets his shit together.' Gumball hesitated, a couple of different questions appearing in his mind. He chose to ask the safer ones first, carefully thinking how he'd phrase them in his mind to avoid confrontation. He wanted to get angry at her, he wanted to let her know that she had cut open a very, very old scar with that smile of hers. But he also didn't want a fight.  
>' Fionna's not my errand girl, she's a friend. But how were you supposed to help him?' Femme unfolded her arms and leaned forward, balancing her elbows on her thighs. Gumball nearly winced again at the sleek line of her back, exposed by the short jersey. He recalled that bloody well.<br>' He, well. He wanted me to take him to a bar so he could y'know, get it out of his system 'cause he figured it was just that. It had been a while and she was there, that sort of thing. Of course it wasn't, but I didn't find that out until he got drunk and went a little bit insane. I guess after centuries of casual relationships, real ones don't come so naturally.' She answered, glancing around the lab casually.  
>Gumball didn't rise to the bait. Femme knew that he knew she was smart enough to only do that deliberately, not accidentally. Their brain power and intuition was pretty well matched.<br>' What does Fionna know?'  
>' What makes you think I've spoken to her?'<br>' Boredom and curiosity. You never did hold up well against temptation.' He said coolly, with just the slightest touch of wry cynicism. Femme frowned slightly and began mentally nursing that burn. They were fighting without fighting, both of them were subtle enough not to just blurt out their thoughts and smart enough to realise what the other was thinking anyway. Gob, no wonder she had found it difficult when they were so fucking metaphysical.  
>' She's... confused. Marshall tried some things on with her-' Gumball stiffened.<br>' Is she okay?' He interrupted worriedly. Femme raised a hand, nodding and Gumball relaxed slowly, looking vaguely disapproving.  
>' But obviously, considering how much of a pussy he is when it comes to emotions, he didn't tell her he wasn't just being a horny bastard. I'll make him sort it out when he comes back.' Gumball raised his chin in understanding then studied her guardedly, taking hold of his second question.<p>

' So... why can't you go into the Nightosphere?' Femme's face took on a pained expression and she looked at him carefully, their eye contact remaining unbroken for some time.  
>' I don't think you want to know that right now, Gumball.' She eventually said in a brittle, strained tone.<br>' Don't I?' He replied impassively, his face unreadable and cold.  
>He was still mad. He was still really mad.<br>He still cared.

Femme swallowed, feeling like she was going to start tearing up and she didn't want him to see her cry. She didn't deserve to, not in front of him. It was her fault.  
>' No.' She stayed frozen where she was for a second, then abruptly stood up and walked over to the door, stopping with her hand on the handle. She twisted around to look at him. Gumball's expression hadn't changed.<br>' If I come back later, tomorrow, at some point- Will you throw me out?' She asked directly, looking straight at him. Gumball just looked at her for a second, then rubbed the back of his neck.  
>' Not... immediately.' Femme laughed once, with only a small amount of actual amusement.<br>' Heh. I suppose that's better than yes. Bye, Gumball.'

' Dude, why did you shut the door on us!?' Fionna yelled at Femme as she ran after her when the shapeshifter stalked out of the room and quickly down the hall, completely ignoring her.  
>' Femme! what happened in there, we couldn't hear a thing-' Femme snarled at her loudly and whipped around to face her, grabbing the sides of her denim jacket and ramming her against the wall. Fionna blinked rapidly and reflexively clamped her hands around Femme's wrists, anxiously scraping the toes of her boots against the floor as Femme held her aloft.<br>' Listen here, you meddling little bunny rabbit, you fucking know _nothing_, okay? You should not have made me do that because now I have to do it again, and it's all your bloody fault because you just don't know where to stop and let well enough alone. I didn't _need_ your help, and I didn't _want_ it either.' She sneered cruelly, baring her teeth with her face only inches away from the terrified adventuress. Femme dropped her roughly and the ground shock caused one of Fionna's knees to give out, and she dropped onto it at Femme's feet. Femme huffed at her derisively, then flicked her hair and began to walk away again, less desperation in her movement this time.  
>' And I'm not your friend. The only reason I decided to mess with you was because I was bored.' Fionna had slowly picked herself up off the ground as Femme trotted down some stairs, and she swallowed firmly before she replied, eyebrows pulled down sharply and eyes hard.<br>' Mess with me?' Femme didn't answer her, rounding a corner in the corridor and disappearing from sight.

Cake suddenly appeared again, pawing insistently at her side. Fionna patted the top of Cake's head reassuringly, her eyes never leaving the corner where the shapeshifter had vanished.  
>' Fionna, how do you know her?'<br>' She's a friend of Marshall's, Cake. That's all you probably want to know.' Fionna told her picking her up and starting to walk out of the palace, consciously choosing to take a different path than Femme had. Cake noticed this, as well as Fionna's choice of words, and looked up at her suspiciously, her paws tucked over her chest protectively.  
>' Is that all I <em>need<em> to know though?' She questioned. Fionna realized what she had done, and flashed Cake an annoyed glance.  
>' Well, <em>I <em>don't know, but I ain't telling you more than that either way. Can you leave it?' She grumbled with no small amount of exasperation. Cake's ears flattened back against her skull and her eyes looked almost too big for her face. Then she looked away from Fionna, her lower lip trembling. Fionna was too concerned with her own worries as to what Femme had implied with her words, and she couldn't concentrate on Cake enough to give the apology that would be required.  
>The walk home was silent.<p>

As soon as she had made it out of the castle, dodging quickly through the palace garden and stumbling into a patch of rose bushes, Femme thumped down onto the ground between the thorns and started to cry, ignoring the pricks and scratches on her skin. It was the kind of unrestrained sobbing that made her gasp for air and every sound that left her mouth became strangled and watery. Tears flowed unimpeded down her face and her nose started running, her hands shook violently against her knees.  
>She didn't know whether it would've made her feel better if he was totally apathetic. Maybe that would've been worse. She had hoped, but not expected he would've forgiven her, but then again, that also could've been worse. Because both of those options would've meant he had moved on. But that anger, that hurt he clearly still held showed that he hadn't.<br>He hadn't moved on enough to let go, and he hadn't moved on enough to just not care anymore.  
>The knowledge that after so much time had passed, he still cared, maybe as much as she did, sent waves of regret straight through her. What had she lost, in all the years she'd been running and pretending that she was over him? And was it possible to get back or had she stayed away for just a little too long? Because even if he did still care, the feeling might have stagnated. Changed from passionate and lively to withered and ashen, crumbling away at the slightest touch.<p>

* * *

><p>Gumball was cranky. He was trying to revise some old documents concerning the building laws of the kingdom, so he could accommodate the growing need for housing, but he couldn't focus. Femme hadn't exactly given him a time when she would be turning up, and he had been glancing around corners fearfully all day, dreading the moment she would show up again until the sun had fallen and the moon settled into her navy blankets, knitting swathes of grey clouds around herself.<br>He knew he would get his explanation this time, it was the only reason she would want to come back. He hadn't allowed her to explain the day he caught her, the day he walked in and saw her with her legs around that woman's waist, her hands in her hair, her tongue in her mouth. He had figured she was a groupie, but who the other woman had been didn't matter to him. It was the fact that she existed, that there was another woman. That Femme either didn't care enough or just didn't understand that he wanted her to be loyal to him.

The candle in front of him was beginning to burn low, the light growing steadily dimmer and Gumball sighed apathetically and pinched it out, delving into his drawers for a replacement.  
>When he re-lit it and suddenly found Femme standing a few metres away from him, he swore loudly as he cringed in fright.<br>' For fuck's sake!' He hissed at her, a hand going to his chest. Femme took a step back awkwardly.  
>' S-sorry, I thought you would've heard me come in.'<br>' Well, evidently not!' He replied in exasperation, then sighed heavily and shuffled the documents into a neat stack, placing them on the desk then turning fully to face Femme.

' So.' He said expectantly, a statement and a question rolled into one syllable. Femme looked around herself, then gingerly sat on the edge of his double bed. He'd gotten a new one, this one was bigger than the one she had slept in with him.  
>She thought about where she should start, the apology or the argument, and decided that apologising all together would be easier than doing it twice.<br>' The reason I can't go back into the Nightosphere is because she was an incubus, a real one. Emotional vampire. It's forbidden for anyone but a demon to become involved with them because they can kill mortals, so if they do happen to accidentally seduce one the mortal in question is prevented from any contact in order to keep them alive. It's easy to become obsessed with them.'  
>' Is that your excuse? You couldn't help yourself because she was an incubus?' Gumball snapped harshly, his nails digging into his arms where he had folded them.<br>' No. No, it's not an excuse, it's a statement of fact. And you didn't let me explain why I did it!'  
>' I didn't want to know, not when you could probably still taste her in your mouth! The fact that you did it was enough to show me that you didn't care about us.' Femme snorted at him, her own annoyance destroying her game plan.<br>' Us? What us? You and I never established that we were like that, you never said to me that that was what you wanted.' Gumball recoiled from her, hurt clanging around in his suddenly hollow guts and prickling his eyes.  
>' Did it need to be said?' He questioned, and Femme could only hold his eyes for a second before she looked down at the ground between her feet.<br>' Maybe it did.'

' ...You didn't know?'  
>' I knew.' She admitted quietly, and Gumball's pain was suddenly overrun by fury.<br>' Then if you knew that I fucking loved you Femme, what the hell were you doing screwing around like that? If you didn't feel the same, you should've just told me!' He yelled at her and she went as white as a sheet of paper, her throat going dry and grating painfully when she swallowed before she spoke.  
>' You loved me?'<br>' You know that, you just told me that you did!' Femme looked down at the ground, tears suddenly beginning to well up in her eyes as she realised just how much she had caused herself to miss out on and probably destroy, with her absence the past two hundred, three hundred years.  
>' I knew that it wasn't just sex, not to you. Or to me. But beyond that, I wasn't sure how far it went. For either of us.' She clarified pointedly, her voice remaining firm even as a tear spilled down her cheek when she looked back up at him. Gumball watched her silently, his lips pressed together tightly and his brow pulled down even tighter.<br>' But that didn't mean you had to cheat to find out.'  
>' It wasn't cheating, we weren't a couple.' She shot back defensively, and Gumball only glared at her in disapproval.<br>' Why, then? Why did you do that to me, whatever you want to call what you did?' He said slowly, his words brimming with hatred and sorrow and anguish and regret. Femme continued to cry calmly, allowing the tears to fall easily rather than resisting.  
>' I didn't want to know how far it went. Other people were effective roadblocks. We were younger, Mew, a lot younger and I was even shallower than I still am. I didn't want to be in love with a nerdy wise-guy who just so happened to be a prince. If I never let myself stay focused on you long enough, I didn't have to find out whether I was.'<p>

Gumball considered her for a long time after this, and neither broke the silence as it stretched seemingly into oblivion. But then he bit his lip thoughtfully and tilted his head to the side.  
>' You didn't come to see me voluntarily, did you?' He stated matter-of-factly, all of the anger from his words before having disappeared as quickly as it had come. Femme was surprised to realise she still recognised these abrupt changes in mood, so she adapted to the new tone easily.<br>' Sort of yes, sort of no.'  
>' Fionna made you tell her, didn't she? A story for a story, if you're helping her with Marshall-lee then she must've figured out that you knew me too.' Femme frowned, remembering her cold words to the adventuress from earlier and was surprised to find that she felt a bit guilty. She had told her the truth and she hadn't seen what Fionna's face was like at the revelation, but she could conjecture and it actually made her feel bad. Maybe the spunky blonde girl had wormed in under her skin more than she had thought, with her insistent, caring nature and trust. So much unlike her that it made her feel inadequate.<br>' Yeah. I don't think I'm helping much though. Marshall's head over heels, he just won't admit it, and she's just anxious to make him like her 'cause she has no clue, no clue at all.' Femme laughed to herself. ' She'd learn to say the alphabet backwards if I told her it would help her nab him.' Gumball's face became slightly concerned, but she didn't notice the warning.  
>' So you haven't told her that Marshall already cares for her?'<br>' Course not, where's the fun in that?' Femme replied carelessly, then realised what she'd done as she glanced nervously at Gumball and saw that he was getting angry again.  
>' So you're playing with her? Making her run around like a dog for you entertainment until Marshall-lee comes home and ruins your 'fun?' Femme opened her mouth but Gumball scowled at her, roughly running his fingers through his hair, then placing one hand on his hip and gesturing to her with the other.<br>' This is how you treat someone like her, someone so precious and innocent, even when you also know that your best friend is in love with her. Everyone but you is just a pawn in your big game of Who's head Can I Screw With Next.'  
>' Bartholomew, how I treat someone I barely know and you and me is completely differ-'<br>' Shut! Up.' He cut her off curtly, and started to pace back in forth in front of her, like an animal stalking prey as he glared at her accusingly.  
>' Did you cheat on me because you were afraid? Or is that just your pretty little lie you've conjured up now to make me forgive you so you can fuck me over again once Fionna's no longer avaliable for you to mess with? My gob, when you're constantly lying and changing like the shapeshifter you are, doing Gob know's what bloody hell if I know's where, how do you expect me to trust in anything that you say? You probably never even cared about me, not at all. And that's why you've only come to see me centuries later because someone else, some poor little girl who thinks you're a friend to her is trying to do the right thing. You <em>use<em> people, and then you discard them behind you when you get bored, and you don't even look over your shoulder to see if there was anyone there to catch them.' Gumball finally finished, stalking up to her. He was breathing raggedly, and his fist clenched and unclenched before he jabbed a finger at her face.  
>' You're despicable.' He growled under his breath, daring her to challenge him.<p>

Femme was panting shallowly, tears flowing in earnest down her face because really, she couldn't disagree with anything he had said. The way she felt about him was the exception rather than the rule, and she held little regret for the centuries that had passed. It was why she was so surprised to realise she felt bad for treating Fionna the way she had when the girl had genuinely had no agenda other than love when she had shoved Femme into Gumball's lab. That lack of ulterior motive was so rare, and it was possibly the only reason that Femme hadn't already written her off as just another faceless nuisance, forcing her into a evil situation that she now knew was a necessary one.

' What, no smart reply? No denial, no retort? Where's that sharp tongue of yours at now, Femme?' Gumball cackled hysterically, and Femme could see he was on the verge of tears too. There was nothing she could say though, so she could only wait as Gumball struggled with himself, his chuckles beginning to sound more like sobs.  
>' You're such a horrible person. You're so mean, and insensitive and careless. I always believed it was just a shell, a cover for the frightened girl you sometimes seemed to be when you let your guard down but when I caught you, my belief faltered and I just wasn't sure. And I'm still not sure. I can't tell whether you're actually as cruel as you seem or whether you just stop at nothing to protect yourself from being hurt.'<p>

He sat down on the bed next to her with an ungraceful thump, and Femme could no longer tell if his shoulders were shaking from laughter or tears.  
>' And the worst thing, the craziest, stupidest thing is that it doesn't matter either way.' He looked at her and Femme gazed at how the snail trails on his cheeks glowed in the candlelight, a new teardrop glittering like phosphorous sea water when it rolled down his cheek.<br>' Femme, if you're still the same girl who called me Mew-mew no matter how many times I told her not to, still the same girl that ate my hair when I held her and could argue about the theory of relativity for hours- If you're still that girl...' He shook his head, his expression caught somewhere between dismay and amusement, and it was one of the most melancholic emotions Femme had ever witnessed.  
>'...then I'm still in love with you.'<p>

They didn't sleep with each other.  
>They didn't even kiss.<br>But the sun was still rising in the sky when Femme finally took her leave after a silent, contemplative night spent holding one another, lying on top of the covers in the middle of Gumball's bed. She didn't know when he had fallen asleep exactly, nor when she had, but he was still unconscious when she was roused. His sleeping face hadn't changed at all either, though it looked a bit more worried than he used to, but she chalked that up to their conversation.  
>She eased herself out of his grip, and laid a tentative kiss on the palm of the hand that had been stroking her hair, then turned into a nightingale and flew out into the pale morning light.<p>

She considered the placement of the sun on the horizon as she decided where she should go, to the treehouse or to Marshall's cave. Fionna would probably still be asleep, if she had slept. Femme's comment about messing with her and Fionna's easily worried sense of self-confidence could have combined to make her believe that she had no chance with Marshall at all. She had another apology to make. Though actually, she had never said to Gumball that she was sorry. Then again, did it need to be said?  
>Femme laughed at herself as she turned towards the ruined city streets that lead to the overbridge above Marshall's home.<br>Maybe it did.

However, all planning for the day ahead was immediately disrupted when in the middle of fixing herself some eggs, the front door banged open and in walked a very dirty, disquieted Marshall-lee, heaving what might have been the same duffle bag he left with if it weren't for the fact that it was scuffed and frayed immensely. Femme blinked at him in shock as he dumped the bag on the couch and then turned to look at her, huffing at his fringe.  
>' Hello. I've been flying through an extremely claustrophobic, stalactite-ridden cave for four hours. My washing machine is out in the shed-room to the right of the backdoor.' He pointed to Femme, and she gulped, having picked up from his tone that the Vampire King was in no mood for bullshit. Though she did not see how his laundry was relevant.<br>' You need to dump the entire contents of this bag that is fabric into that washer. I need to take a shower.' He floated up into his room and then his head suddenly popped out through the ladder and he narrowed his eyes at her, pointing again.  
>' And then we need to talk.'<p>

**Author's note: Really, did you think I could bring back Marshall in any manner less than completely fabulous? He wasn't gonna just turn up through a portal guys, I said it was hard to leave the Nightosphere. I ain't usin' bug milk cheats here. Seriously though, I've been looking forward to that paragraph, and I enjoyed writing it far more than I probably should've, seeing as it's just one paragraph.  
><strong>**As to the rest of the content, well, I love my slightly OOC Gumball and Femme together just as much as Fionna and Marshall. If Fionna and Marshall are the imperfectly perfect (Mismatched but _right_) couple, then Gummy and Femme are perfectly imperfect. Both of them have huge personality flaws, and they're both smart enough to recognise their own and each other's, but they can't help fallin' in love. Ugh. They're just... it's like ugly cute, I ain't explaining that anymore.  
>Two chapters in six days is kind of impressive I feel, but I don't know if I can keep this rate of production up. So motivate me, leave me a review and tell me everything! Don't spare the details, I read as fast as I write. Wait, that's not a good comparison. Uhm. Bye.<strong>

**-WRA**


	17. Chapter 17- A Rare And Precious Thing

Femme's eyes had remained narrowed and fixed pensively on Marshall-lee for some time as she watched him over a cup of strong instant coffee. She had listened to the whole story, at first interrupting constantly with questions and clarifications until Marshall told her to zip it, at which point she had fallen silent and just looked at him, as she continued to do so now.  
>Marshall-lee huffed impatiently at his sopping wet fringe, then smoothed it over to the side with one hand as he waited for her to talk. The imprinting, his conversation with Alexander, he'd told her everything and now he really just wanted someone to tell him what he should do. He usually hated someone giving him instructions- it was his life and he would live it as he pleased- but when he was so lost he didn't quite have the pride to refrain from asking for directions.<p>

Femme inhaled through her nose, and chewed on the inside of her cheek, studying him before putting her cup of coffee down on the bench she was leaning against.  
>' I gots questions, and you better answer 'em, mate. Because after that, there's some things I ought to tell you too. Firstly, before you called me, before you left and found all this out, what were you to her and what did you do to her? She's so skittish with the subject I couldn't get a straight answer-'<br>' You- you've spoken to her?'  
>' I told you there were some things I need to tell you, but I ain't talking until I understand.' Femme said, obviously not up for negotiation. Marshall sighed and swiped at his bangs again.<br>' We were just friends, I flirted with her and all that y'know, but it was totally platonic 'cause she's so young... I-I mean, she's sixteen, so it's not-' Marshall cut himself off and gave a short sigh through pursed lips, looking through his knees at the ground.  
>' I... I got stuck, in the bathroom, she shut the window on me and I couldn't get out so I just kinda had to sit there while she, y'know... And afterwards, I was teasing her and she was all over me while she was tryin' to get me back and how the hell was I supposed to resist, in that situation-'<br>' Marshall, don't justify yourself to me, I couldn't give an ants' prick. Just what happened, none of the flowery stuff.' Marshall shot her a look, consciously focusing on keeping his hands in his lap rather than running them through his hair.  
>' Fine. Cake came back before I could get anywhere, so I snuck in later and picked up where I left off. I had my fuckin' face between her legs and she still wasn't fully decided and that made it seem... it- well, it creeped me out that she just wouldn't admit she liked it even though I could tell she did and I'd heard her say my freaking name earlier in... A-anyway, I got out of there but like I told you, all I wanted was to go back. I couldn't sleep or nothing, all day it was all her. Next night, you came over and you know the rest.'<p>

Femme pouted her lips, thinking for a moment. No wonder Fionna had been so confused. The boy had treated her like he had no feelings for her at all, running off and having sex with a random girl (Though ostensibly, she didn't know about that) before disappearing for a week. A week actually wasn't that long in Marshall time, she was probably used to him vanishing every so often like that with no explanation. After what he had done though, if Femme hadn't turned up then Fionna would've been out of her mind with stress. You can't just break into someone's room, take them to third base (it was borderline sexual assault, and Femme guessed that was why Marshall was so uncomfortable telling her) and then evaporate into the wind without an excellent explanation and a damn good apology when you come back.  
>His explanation was, well, rather excellent actually. It got him off scott-free, he couldn't be held accountable for his actions (at least the sexual ones). And considering the way she felt about him, as long as he spoke carefully and sincerely, she would forgive him too. Of course she'd forgive him, it was Fionna. Femme was sort of glad she knew the girl couldn't hold a grudge, she needed to exploit that endless well of forgiveness soon.<p>

' Okay, well-'  
>' Nah, nah. Before you say anything about what I should do, I wanna know what you've been doing.' Marshall interrupted her, folding his arms firmly. Femme glared at him and opened her mouth angrily, but Marshall just raised his eyebrows at her. She hesitated for a moment then scowled, shaking her head.<br>' Fine. I've been tryin' to ready her for dealing with your lifestyle, 'cause in case you didn't know, she only found out what sex actually is like, three days ago.' At this information, Marshall turned white, and his fingers clenched in his jeans.  
>' I hadn't realised how fuckin' helpful my input was gonna be until just now but well, I'm damn glad I at least gave her a little preparation.' Marshall swallowed and looked away from her, and as she looked at him she could tell that if he still had a heartbeat it would've been thumping away in the back of his skull painfully. The level of guilt and confliction he was clearly experiencing was way past what she would allow for herself.<br>Femme scratched the back of her head and shrugged her shoulders sheepishly.  
>' To be honest, at first I only got involved because I wanted to see what sort of girl could ruin you and your cold methods like she had. And when I figured out how into you she was, the opportunity was too good to pass up.' Marshall's head snapped up rather suddenly and Femme raised a hand defensively before he could lay into her.<br>' She's mad at me right now 'cause, well shit happened- Look, I can see why you were so scared of her. She's the most genuinely decent person I've ever met.' Femme laughed once and shook her head incredulously, raising her hands.  
>' Man, if she lets you, if you do this- I don't think you're gonna be able to get away from her. There's no light at the end of this tunnel 'cause you won't want to leave. You've spent so much time chasing the crazy, wild-child bad girls who you knew you could never hang on to, and now you've found yourself a crazy, wild-child good girl. She'll want you to stay, you know she will, and I think you're tired of chasing. I think you ain't telling her no.'<p>

Marshall-lee stared at her hard, his breathing shallow and fast, and their eyes locked for a short time. Then Femme raised an eyebrow wryly.  
>' Again, that is if she lets you. You screwed up, running away like that. I told you that wasn't what you wanted to do. You've got an excuse for what you did, sure, and she'll forgive you because you're fucking lucky she's just that sort of person who forgives. Those parts ain't the problem, it's what you're going to ask of her.'<br>' I know.' Marshall murmured, his jaw clenched and his eyes buried beneath his tightly furrowed brow.

Femme studied him, sucking her teeth, then clapped her hands on the kitchen bench and pushed off, walking over to the door.  
>' Well... Like I said, you ain't the only one she's mad at, so I'm gonna go talk to her. I'll let you explain all this though, you ain't getting off easy. I mean, we haven't even mentioned what you're gonna do with Cake while you're trying to rail her baby sister.' Marshall didn't even glance at her, so entrenched in his contemplation he couldn't even get mad at her. Femme was halfway out the door before she decided to impart one final piece of information to the sullen vampire.<br>' Oh and by the way, me and Barty, we're... Well, I don't know what we are, but I spent the night with him. So maybe prepare to have me around a little more often, thanks to your girl. Bye.'

* * *

><p>The atmosphere in the treehouse had been stifling and uncomfortable as Fionna, suddenly acting like a teenager for once, had moped around and sulked silently up in her room and a confused and hurt Cake waited for her apology. When the rest of the day and the night had passed and still no words had been exchanged between the two, the very disconcerted feline had put a note on the kitchen bench and left without a word.<p>

_Fionna_,

_I don't know who that lady was, and how you or Gumball know her. So when you're ready to talk and tell me why you were so upset the other day, call me at Mochro's._  
><em>Love you always,<em>

_Cake._

Fionna, wrapped from head to foot in a fur from her bed, picked up the note and read it as she walked into the lounge. Her lip trembled a little as she re-read the second to last line, then she wiped her nose and sighed heavily as she sat down on the couch, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. She wanted to tell Cake everything, like she always used to. However, she also... didn't. Cake was like her second mom, sort of. Sometimes that was reversed because that was just how sisters were really, taking care of each other. And because of that, all this stuff about sex and relationships and blah really wasn't something she wanted an in-depth analysis on from her sister. Cake was a constant in her life, had always been there, but this was all new and she felt like that made the two clash in a ear-splitting shriek of Not What She Wanted.  
>That was before knowing that Cake most definitely would not approve. Her sister was limiting, very much setting the boundaries for her after their mother had died, and it was actually starting to feel like she was trapped rather than secure. Her world and her knowledge had expanded beyond those edges.<br>She had outgrown them.  
>Perhaps what Cake had said, about them beginning to disagree more as she grew older wasn't so far off the mark. That didn't mean they wouldn't still be partners, femme fatales <em>fantastique toujours<em>, but she didn't want to have someone else deciding where the lines of her life were drawn forever. She wanted a go with the pencil now.  
>What that control would cost her in her relationship though, she wasn't quite sure. Maybe she <em>was<em> getting old enough to start making her own way in the world, without relying on Cake to be there with blankets and food and comfort with just a phone call. Maybe it would be better like that, because then Cake would be free to spend time with Mochro and her babies whenever she wanted. And Fionna could just go wherever she liked, alone and free.  
>Not completely alone though, if Marshall-lee...<p>

Thinking of him made her groan and she tipped sideways on the couch, screwing up her face and tugging the front of her hat down over her eyes. Fucking Femme. What a bitch.  
>' Uh... should I come back later?'<br>Speak of the devil.  
>Fionna quickly righted herself and pushed up the front of her hat, glaring at Femme as she defensively tugged on her fur. The shapeshifter had turned back into her human form from the nightingale and was standing on the windowsill.<br>' How about you don't come back at all, you traitorous assbutt!' Femme simply raised one eyebrow in acceptance, her lips pressing together, and this annoyed Fionna so much that she thrust an arm out from beneath her blanket and chucked a pillow at her. Femme caught it easily and hugged it to her chest, stepping out of the windowsill then casting it aside.  
>' Yeah, I deserve that. Fionna, I came to say sorry, not for what I said but because what I said was true.' Fionna's face took on a mixture of hurt and fury, and Femme noted that it was almost exactly how she had pictured the girl would've looked as she walked away in the candy palace.<br>' So what, you were just playing with my feelings!? Freaking everybody does that and I have no idea why they would want to! Ice Queen pretended to be Gumball when I still liked him, then my first boyfriend cheats on me, Marshall-lee runs away from me after breaking into my bed and then you tell me that he likes me when he probably doesn't give a single shit!'

Fionna was in tears now, and the last half of what she had spoken had become more and more incoherent as she descended into her sobs. Femme, actually beginning to feel really sort of bad, took a couple of hesistant steps towards Fionna and placed a hand on her shoulder. Fionna shook her off angrily, so Femme instead grabbed her chin and made her look up.  
>' <em>Was<em> being the operative there, honey. I didn't know you when I first walked in here, I only knew you were some blonde girl who had literally brought VK, king of the playboys to his knees. Then fuck, EB you're just so sweet and innocent and trusting...' Femme sighed and sat down on the couch next to her, tucking her hair behind her ear. Fionna realised how small Femme actually was, when she was hunched over and curled in like that. She was so thin and tiny, but her personality and her tall heels made her seem gigantic.  
>' I'm not a good person, y'know. At first, the fact that you're like that made me wanna take advantage of it, have some fun. I figured that you were either stupid or it was just a front and that once I started messing I could figure out which. Then I was wrong, on both accounts. You're no acadmic, but you're not dumb, and you really are so kind and honest and loyal and just such a good fucking person that man, you nearly make me sick. You make me realise that I ain't anything like you and that that is a bad thing in some ways.'<p>

Fionna had stopped crying and was frowning at her, but it didn't seem like it was out of anger anymore, and before she knew what was happening Femme found that her mouth just kept going.  
>' I <em>like<em> playing with people's heads, because there's just so many motherfuckers in the world that deserve to get screwed over, and being manipulative is addictive. When you play puppetmaster too much, you stop noticing who deserves to be strung up and who's just in your way. And then you stop caring.'  
>' But maybe I just have an addictive personality. Heh, that makes sense, after I left Mew I kept a packet of gum in my pocket for years.' Femme sniffed and wiped her nose, firmly telling herself she was not allowed to cry. She had done quite enough of that already, thank you very much. As much as she realised she had treated Fionna badly and she wanted her forgiveness, she still didn't want the adventuress to try and save her, to fix all her problems for her. That was something she'd have to work out on her own.<p>

' Fionna, you're the kind of girl that inspires strong emotions in people. How you managed to get that way, I don't know. Maybe it's 'cause you're the last human, maybe you're just you and there ain't no explanation. But I can safely say that you're one of the only people I've ever met who's able to make me feel guilty. Take that as a compliment honey, it's an exclusive club.' The blonde girl finally cracked a smile at the joke and Femme chuckled half-heartedly at herself, before holding out a hand to Fionna.  
>' We cool?' Fionna took it but before she shook she locked eyes with Femme.<br>' Was everything you told me true, though?'  
>Femme bit her lip and nodded earnestly, hoping that Fionna would believe her. Fionna studied the shapeshifter for a few more seconds, her eyebrows pulling together a little, then she almost fell forward and wrapped her arms around Femme. Fionna quietly thought that she looked like she could use a hug.<br>Femme just sat, stunned for a second as Fionna hugged her, before she tentatively returned it. Dear lord, this girl was a fucking miracle. She would kick Marshall's ass if he broke her by being careless.  
>People like EB, people who fucking <em>believed<em> and forgave like she did were so rare. Femme didn't want to be like her, gob knows she was not strong enough to deal with how painful Fionna's life was bound to be with the way she was. She just wanted to be a little more like her, so that Gumball would be able to take back all of the things he had said about her.

' The other reason I came here, whether you decided I was a dickbag or not, was to tell you that Marshall came back earlier this morning.' Femme told her when she leaned back, grabbing the top of Fionna's arms. Fionna's eyes widened considerably and she audibly swallowed, noticeable enough to both of them that she blushed.  
>' Look, don't be so nervous, okay? I told you, you got this. But he's told me some things I didn't know before and well, the situation isn't as clean-cut as we thought. You're still totally free to be mad at him EB, but he has a pretty good reason why you shouldn't be. I'll leave it up to him though, it's his apology.' Fionna looked down at her hands, which lay limp in her lap and nodded slowly, calming herself down.<br>' So... you want me to tell him he can come see you, or-?' Fionna thought about it for a second then shook her head, a flash of steel appearing in her eye.  
>' No. No, I'll come to his house tomorrow night. Maybe he does have a good reason, but that bitchbiscuit still ran out on me. Let him see what it feels like to wait.' Femme grinned at her, shaking her head disbelievingly.<br>' Wow. For such a goody two-shoes, you sure can be one bad little girl.'

The two women hung out together for the rest of the afternoon, just chatting companionably as the sun went down. As they talked, Fionna realised with a twinge of guilt that knowing that Cake wasn't about to walk through the door left her feeling much more relaxed. She wasn't going to be scolded for swearing or nagged to brush her hair and take a shower or badgered about chores she had promised to do or things she had promised to fetch. And it was really sort of nice. But it still made her feel bad, understanding that she actually didn't mind Cake being gone as much as she felt she should, especially since Cake was probably still kind of mad at her. She had also decided that she wasn't going to rectify that before she talked to Marshall-lee, because if she decided to let him into her bed (with her actual permission this time) she couldn't be worrying about her sister walking in on that. As long as their lines of communication remained broken, she wouldn't have to. It still made her feel bad though. She felt like she was choosing to let something go, like she had when she had broken up with Flame Prince. It was a dull sort of ache.

' So do you want me to come back here, same time tomorrow? I can help gussy you up, get you all pretty and shiny before you go kick his ass.' Femme offered, standing up as she finished the soda Fionna had given her.  
>' Wait, you think I'll still want to even with this ' good explanation'?' The shapeshifter shrugged, tipping her head from side to side.<br>' Maybe. I kind of want you to, but I also don't, because the poor guy is real mixed up. But then again, he did run away. I understand why he did, but that doesn't mean it wasn't cowardly. So y'know, I think it's kind of up to you.' Fionna thought about this for a second then shook her head, brushing it away with an uncaring flick of the wrist.  
>' Eh. We'll see. But yeah, it'd be good if you did come. Are you going back to Gumball now?' Femme stopped short, standing in the window sill.<br>' Uh... I don't know. I hadn't thought about that to be honest.' Fionna gave her an obnoxious little smile, pushing her lips out slightly.  
>' I think you should.'<br>' Don't look at me like that.' Fionna grinned and ran over to Femme, wrapping her arms around her ankles.  
>' Aww, but it's so <em>cute<em> though!' Femme shook her off and rolled her eyes.  
>' Shut your fifteen-year-old face, it ain't cute honey. Go take a shower, you smell like deer hide.' Fionna laughed at her.<br>' Yeah, alright. And y'know you don't have to use the window, right? We have a front door.' Femme returned her laughter, shrugging helplessly as she pushed open the window then turned back to face the adventuress.  
>' Yeah, I know, but where's the fun in that?' Fionna grinned at her as Femme wiggled her fingers then fell backwards out of the window, Fionna rushing over and leaning out as her hawk-form shot back up into the twilight sky.<br>' Bye Femme!' She yelled out the window, sticking her arm out and waving with the unabashed enthusiasm of a five-year-old.

Fionna giggled as she shut the window, laughing at the thought of Femme's scathing eye-roll at the childish farewell. She then went up to her room and returned the fur to her bed, before stripping off her pajamas and dumping them, along with her customised outfit, into the washing machine. It was a daunting task that lay ahead of her, she considered grimly as she wandered into the bathroom and undid her braid, watching the long golden strands rustle as they brushed the floor.  
>She would have to wash her hair.<p>

* * *

><p>'You know, it's really quite disconcerting to wake up on your own when you fall asleep next to someone.' Gumball said evenly, not even taking his eyes off of his book as Femme silently walked in through his balcony door. Fionna's comment to her about the window had made her realise she didn't like using front entrances, and the fact that she had immediately angled for the balcony instead of the main doors only confirmed this epiphany.<br>' I know. I had to go talk to Fionna, and Marshall turned up while I was grabbing something to eat, so that's why I haven't been back all day. Sorry.' Gumball put down his book and looked at her over the top of his glasses, and Femme only just managed not to snort. She used to tease him, call him Professor whenever he did that to her.  
>' And I don't just mean sorry for not coming back.' She added, remembering her earlier internal dialogue. Gumball studied her for a moment, then took of his glasses. His expression wasn't exactly happy but it also wasn't upset. it was tranquil, relaxed.<br>' I... Appreciate that.' Gumball told her after a moment, realising why she had said it and giving her a small smile to let her know that. Femme returned it shyly, rocking back and forth on her heels, before wandering over to him and looking at the book with interest.

' Whatcha reading?'  
>' A human medical encyclopedia. Currently a footnote on 'Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism.' Femme frowned for a second then raised an eyebrow at him.<br>' That's not a real condition.'  
>' It is, or was.'<br>' Why would it be two pseudos? So it resembles something that resembles something? Doesn't that just make it a variation of pseudohypoparathyroidism and not an actual disease in and of itself?' She questioned easily, and Gumball shook his head at her, a huge grin spreading over his face as he huffed out a short, pleasantly surprised sigh.  
>' Close that mouth.' He demanded, taking up her hands. Femme sat down on his knee and intertwined her fingers with his, happily remembering the sensation. His skin was cool but very soft with a slight, just slightly grain texture. He was made of bubblgum after all.<br>Didn't mean he was soft all over though, especially when she was around.  
>' Why?'<br>' You use it to argue when it can do much nicer things.' He murmured, leaning in towards her. Femme smiled against his mouth right before he kissed her.  
>' You bet it can.'<p>

This was always what it had been like when they disagreed, though obviously the feud had never lasted as long as this before. Their fights were large and sharp and explosive, but very well contained. The damage never lasted very long, as both of them knew they were talking to an equal so knew that they had been understood. After the appropriate apologies were given and hurt feelings nursed back to health, they didn't really speak of it again. It was in their past, something to have learned from so they wouldn't have to have that particular fight again.  
>Their personalities and the way they clashed meant that they had fought a lot, and as she kissed him Femme wondered if it would be different this time, seeing as the real emotion had been acknowledged. But either way, it didn't really matter. The fights hadn't been what destroyed them last time, the fact that he had stilled cared about her after them had only cemented her opinion that theirs was a relationship stronger than just sweet words and soft touches. So whether they would argue like last time or not, it didn't matter.<p>

' I've missed you.' Femme quickly interjected when he broke away from her lips for just a moment to take a breath. She could feel one of his hands in her hair stroking between the strands and trailing them through his fingers. Then his arms moved and he pulled her in against him in a firm embrace, pressing the lower half of his face into her shoulder.  
>' Same.' He mumbled and Femme smiled as she trailed her fingertips up and down his spine.<br>Then giggled unrepentantly at Gumball's noise of outrage when she quickly turned her head and bit off a piece of his hair. Gumball glared at her, open-mouthed as she chewed on it, giving him an obnoxious little grin before blowing a bubble and letting it pop right in front of his face. The outrage changed to something else, although his mouth remained open, when she leaned in afterwards and whispered in his ear for a few seconds. Femme jerked her eyebrows at him, smirking at the blush turning his pink cheeks even pinker.  
>' But maybe we should take it a little slower this time around. Having said that though, you do have a new desk, and it's much bigger than the last one you used the first time.' Gumball blushed even harder and Femme laughed at him.<br>' Shut up.' He told her firmly, popping her second bubble with his finger and effectively forcing her to listen to him as he closed his mouth over hers.

**Author's note: GO READ IT, THEY SAID. IT'S A FIOLEE STORY, THEY SAID. Well you know what, fuck it, if you guys want the Fiolee smut-fest that's coming up real soon, then you're just gonna have to put up with my goddamn Femball fluff. They are fucking cute, I enjoy writing them and I won't listen to anyone who says otherwise. Besides, I felt like a little fluff would be a good idea before all the fucking that's about to happen. Oh and if you want to know what Femme whispered in his ear, it'll have been some sort of innuendo to do with bubblegum, sweetness and popping. Have fun making up your own and leave 'em in the reviews for me to snigger at.  
>So, next chappie'll definitely be Mar and Fionna's big reunion. Stay tuned, and I'll be right back after I've um, written it. *grins sheepishly*<strong>

**-WRA**


	18. Chapter 18- I Want You To Want Me

' Ah-ah-ahh... You don't want to do that.' Femme told Marshall matter-of-factly, making him jump slightly. He hadn't noticed her behind him as his sun umbrella blocked most of his peripheral vision, and he scowled at the electric blue owl that blurred and wavered back into the brunette woman. She had ambushed him as he stood outside Fionna's front door, trying to force himself to knock. He knew she was home, he had heard her talking to Beemo only a few minutes ago.  
>' Oh yeah? Why's that?' He growled, raising an eyebrow impatiently. Femme stuck her hands in her pockets and shrugged her shoulders, a little swagger in her step and a permanent hint of a smile around her mouth. Both were new characteristics and Marshall wondered for a moment what had happened to make her so pleased.<br>' Because you ran out on her, VK. So you gotta let her decide if and when she wants to see you again.'  
>' But how would she know I'm back-'<br>' I told her, duh.' The side of Marshall's lip pulled up a little and Femme wasn't quite sure how to catergorise the expression he gave her. Somewhere between disgust, disappointment, annoyance and confusion.  
>' Who's side are you on?'<br>' I didn't know there were any, mate. So you just run on home now, she'll be coming to see you tonight. Prepare your speech, write some notecards or something.' Marshall-lee couldn't counteract her bewildering happiness, so could only watch her in uncomprehending silence as she waltzed past him and into the treehouse, making a 'shoo' motion at him with her fingers.

Fionna had been preparing her speech. As she had wandered around, absently cleaning the treehouse or suddenly remembering to do things like shave her legs and put her clothes out to dry, she had been trying to decide on what her opening line would be when she walked up to Marshall's door tonight. She knew she'd get the first words in, but picking what those words would be was difficult. Currently, she liked ' You better have a damn good explanation, Marshall-lee.' But it wasn't very snappy. She wanted something shorter.

' Hey hey, guess who?' She heard from behind her, and she turned away from the dishes in the sink in delight as Femme's head popped out of the central tree trunk, grinning at her.  
>' Look who used a door for once.'<br>' Oh, haha. I can barely contain my hysterics. How's it going?' The shapeshifter asked, walking over to Fionna and sitting on the edge of the bench as Fionna continued to wash plates.  
>' You're being awfully domestic for someone who might lose their virginity tonight.' Fionna blushed at the comment but continued to scrub the plates methodically.<br>' Hey, all I'm looking for tonight is understanding. Anything else is a bonus.'  
>' For him or you?' She quipped and Fionna flicked some water at her in retribution, making Femme yelp in protest.<br>' Look, put that shit down, ya silly goose. It's what, two? Night time doesn't officially start until six in my book, so we've got at least four hours before you even gotta think of going over there. So you and me are gonna vist a shop, my treat.' Femme told her, grinning at her when Fionna blinked at her in surprise.  
>' Woah, um. Okay, I guess. Where are we going?'<br>' You'll see. Dry your hands and grab your hat, then we'll scat. Stay in the stuff you're in, it'll be better to keep your new things lookin' sharp.' Fionna cocked her head to the side as Femme sauntered over to the middle of the treehouse. The shapeshifter seemed much happier today, just in general. Much more so than she had been either yesterday or at any point really, in the week Fionna had known her.  
>A sudden thought popped into her head and without thinking about it, Fionna rushed up behind Femme and grabbed her arm, tugging it insistently.<br>' OhmyglobohmyglobdidyouspendthenightwithGumball!?' She squealed all in one long word and Femme shook her head, sticking a finger in her ear.  
>' Ow. Slower, and drop an octave if you can.' she told her as she started to climb down the ladder.<br>' Did you stay with Gumball last night?' Fionna asked again as she followed. Femme smiled and huffed out a short laugh, then looked at Fionna with a mixture of indulgent amusement and annoyance when the adventuress landed on the floor.  
>' Yeah, I did, but we didn't do anything you're thinking of. Last time was hard and fast EB, so we're trying it slow and easy this round. I don't wanna cock up anymore than I have to.' Fionna looked ever so slightly disappointed for a second, and this caused Femme to roll her eyes at the adventuress before grabbing her arm and tugging her out the door.<p>

Femme's mystery shop turned out to be a women's lingerie outlet, and their experience within consisted of much arguing ( ' No, stay out!' " EB, I'm a chick too, you literally ain't got nothing I haven't seen a million times before.' ) cajoling, threatening, bargaining and finally begrudging acceptance as Fionna decided on a set and they left, her cheeks burning traffic light red. They had stayed roughly that colour for almost the entire hour they had been inside. Cake Had always bought her new underwear when she needed it, and she had no idea that things such as corsets, garter belts and thongs existed. The latter had prompted another debate between the two, as Fionna argued it would be uncomfortable and impractical, and Femme explained it wasn't supposed to stay on for long anyways so her points didn't matter.  
>However, the adventuress had to admit, getting a proper bra fitted had actually afforded her quite a lot of relief (it was so much more <em>comfy<em>) and also no small amount of internal glee. Up to this point, she had been wearing a size fourteen C, and had never really considered whether it was the right one or not ( She had trusted her sister's judgement). After she had whipped out her funny tape measure though, the assistant had tutted and shook her head, before pronouncing that Fionna _really_ should've been wearing a size twelve DD and then went off on a rant about how sad it was so many women wore the incorrect size. Femme then insisted on buying her a couple of regular ones to replace her too small ones, with the matching underwear because 'that would just be weird otherwise'.

Fionna, in between wondering how thin white cotton lace and satin could be considered regular, became suspicious that this was partially Femme's way of proving that she really was sorry for what she had said. It was kind of sweet though, and hey, free stuff, so she tolerated it without protest.

' So how is this going to stay up?' She questioned, raising an eyebrow at the strapless cherry red satin and black lace bra Femme had provided as one of her options for wearing tonight, ' In case it does get heated, no matter _your_ intentions.' Femme pointed to the inside of the back strap, gesturing to two shiny plastic pieces of elastic.  
>' The plastic fantastic bits will stick to your skin and keep it up. Though frankly, you could do without a bra in the leather lace-up I put together for you, but this is also a confidence thing. When we get back and you're getting dressed, I want ya to just go and look at y'self in the mirror before you put on the rest of your clothes. I want you to see what Marshall sees in you. You're a catch EB, don't doubt that.' Fionna blushed and punched Femme in the arm, causing the shapeshifter to grin at her.<br>' Okay, thanks, but enough of the mush-fest ya ding-dong.' She grumbled under her breath, stuffing the bra back into the bag. Femme tugged off Fionna's hat and ruffled her hair, before turning into a wolf with the hat clenched between her jaws, gesturing with her head for Fionna to get onto her back.

There was a lot of primping and clipping to be done before Fionna actually changed into her proper clothing. She felt like almost every inch of her body had been buffed and polished into its best possible natural condition, though a few careless comments from Femme had made Fionna uncomfortably aware of how scarred her body was. She had never considered that a problem before, because she had never wanted to be pretty, or at least not very often. But now, the marks changed from hard-earned battle trophies born with pride to unsightly blemishes and made her feel terribly insecure.  
>So it was with a pessimistic attitude that after donning the brand-new undergarments (which were so much more soft and plushy compared to her old things) She reluctantly followed Femme's request and ventured down to the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror. She had gotten over Femme being around her when she was half naked, and the shapeshifter picked up her braid and quickly tugged the hairtie off as she trudged past.<br>' Shake out your hair and strike a pose, bub.' She told her cheerfully, failing to notice Fionna's mood.

At first, she stood glumly in front of her reflection, an annoyingly nasal voice in her mind commenting on the marks covering her body, a pimple on the crook between her shoulder and neck, the deposits of fat on her hips, the tops of her thighs and the base of her stomach. But then she ran her fingers through her hair, shaking the strands free and looking away from the glass as she relaxed her pose, and when she glanced back it stopped her in her tracks.  
>Her expression wasn't the prettiest, but suddenly, her stance made her body seem gracefully and flowing, the muscles showing in her legs under her skin looked supple and strong. Suddenly the minor lines and imperfections didn't matter, and as she tentatively put her shoulders back and placed a hand on her waist, she felt much better. She still didn't believe she was all that great, definitely not a 'catch', as Femme put it. But she wasn't an unsightly mess or gross, and that was enough.<br>' See, I told ya. Not bad at all.' Femme said from the doorway, and Fionna turned her head and flashed her a grateful smile.  
>' You wanna help a sister out and take me over?' She asked, picking her hat up off the sink and pushing her hair up into it. She felt it was unlikely that she'd keep it on in the event of anything happening. Femme grinned at her and chucked her the rest of her clothing before placing the suede boots on the ground at the door.<br>' I'm waiting downstairs.'

* * *

><p>Marshall-lee hated all this fucking indecision. It seemed like the most common emotion he felt at any given point in time (when you excluded horny) right now. He had listened to Femme's instructions because well, she had a point. It had be so fucking difficult to leave though. He had practically teleported there after deciding to leave when he had finished brooding just after midday, and it had only been his apprehension at getting a verbal kick in the face that had made him hesitate. Hearing her voice for the first time in more than a week, for real and not just in his head, had almost literally made him collapse. All she had said was ' Beemo, that's stupid.' and it was the most beautiful and alluring thing he'd ever heard in his life. Death. Whatever.<br>But he didn't know whether Femme was just pawning him off by telling him she'd come see him tonight. It was something that bitch would do. If she didn't come to him (!) he'd have to go to her, just to avoid a replay of the Incident of the Torn Pajamas. He couldn't hurt her, just the thought that he might freaked him the fuck out and made his stomach twist painfully.  
>Could someone just like, walk up and silently hand him an instruction manual or some shit!? He didn't know how to deal with this! It was a situation where fucking up was not an option, but simply avoiding it wasn't either, at least not without burying every last shred of his self-worth and pride. He was not going to turn into a pitiful mess of a man who cried while he masturbated. He would TRY to retain his fuckin' dignity.<br>Besides, crying was not a thing that he did. Nevermind what had happened when he was hungover and injured and terrified.

Suddenly, terrified became much more of a present than past emotion when Marshall heard a knock on his door. He nervously ran his fingers through his hair, before abruptly stopping when he realised what he was doing, then tried to calm himself down be reasoning it could easily be Femme. However, that reasoning was destroyed when he floated downstairs and nonchalantly opened the door to find Fionna standing on his porch, in an outfit that he managed to identify only as sex personified before it annhilated his ability to think.  
>Holy shit.<br>Holy _shit._

The line Fionna had decided on was ' We need to talk.' But when he opened that door, when she saw his face and saw the way it changed when he noticed her clothing, she made a split second change of plan and folded her arms deliberately, realising that she didn't need to compromise for him. This was her decision entirely, whether she forgave him, whether she tried to make him want her. She didn't have to have anything to do with him after this if she didn't freaking well want to. And the confidence boost it gave her was astounding.  
>' <em>You<em> need to talk. So get started.'

Marshall failed to follow her instruction intially, wordlessly stepping aside to let her into his home. His mind was all muddled and breathless as he watched her walk past him, noticing all at once that there was new sort of strut in her step that rolled her hips and pushed back her shoulders and she had freaking garter straps on and her skirt was so tiny he could almost see her ass in those tight little shorts underneath it and her boobs looked _fantastic_ in that leather whatever-  
>His ogling was cut short when she sat down on the top of his amp and looked at him expectantly (she would never sit on his couch. Ever.) but it still took him a few seconds to put his conscious self back in the driver's seat. She was so <em>near<em>, just a few metres away from him and he could be holding her and touching her and tasting her _right now_ if only she would let him- But he knew she wouldn't.  
>It still took a fair amount of his concentration though in order to stay perfectly still, exactly where he was, and not to pounce on her straight away. Even more so with the little number she had put herself in. Why the fuck was she wearing all that? It was like decorating a lamb with bacon strips before sending it into a lion's den. The lion could not be expected just to lay down and play nice. But he had to, he had to and it would drive him nuts. He'd be insane by the end of the night if he couldn't get her to listen to him.<br>' Marshall, I'm waiting. Femme said you had a good explanation and I'm willing to hear it before I decide if I should keep putting up with your crap.' She told him firmly, and he was once again stunned by how fucking _gorgeous_ her voice was and also at how blunt she was being with him. Fionna had always been a straight up, honest person, but she was never harsh. It seemed she had become even more direct while he was away.  
>Or maybe he was just finally seeing what it was like when Fionna the Human held a grudge. The realisation hurt.<p>

' I- I, uh. Gimme a minute. Lemme just-...' He trailed off, turning away from her to remove some of the distraction and putting a hand over his forehead as he considered where he should begin. There was a _lot_ of explaining to do.  
>' How about you start with the fact that you <em>broke into my bedroom<em>!? What the hey-hey, man?' Fionna exclaimed, and Marshall guitily raised a hand, telling her to stop.  
>' Yeah, yeah I know. I'm sorry, that was a mistake. I didn't mean to freak you out or anythin', But I was just-' He let out a short sigh.<br>' Look, I'm gonna tell you some stuff, and it'll sound totally crazy, 'cause it is. It fucking is. But it's all true, I swear to gob I'm not lying to you, Bunny-blue.' Fionna studied him for a second, suddenly thinking that perhaps when Femme had said things weren't so clean-cut she hadn't meant something like Marshall had been drunk or whatever. The look on Marshall's face was desperate- not to mention his face itself, actually. He looked tired and run down, lank and thin, and his bitemarks looked sore and irritated. He appeared worn and stressed and frustrated, and Fionna felt the uncomfortable sensation of knowledge sinking into her stomach, the knowledge being that his condition might somehow be related to her.  
>That it was possibly her fault.<p>

' I broke into your room and did that stuff because I couldn't stop thinking about you and how I had had you before fucking Cake interrupted- But you were scared, I was scaring you and it creeped me out which is why I left, and I hoped you would have thought it was a dream and I would've just written it off as me being an impulsive, idiotic son of a bitch. But even then, I just couldn't... I couldn't get you out of my head. Even if I chased after another girl, she was just inconsequential, she wasn't good enough because she wasn't you.'  
>Fionna's face had turned steadily pinker as he talked and her hands had bunched in the fabric of her skirt. Marshall glanced up at her, then quickly looked away before he could begin to drown in her wide blue eyes. That pretty shade of blue. The sky and the sea and all the sapphire in the universe couldn't hold a candle to it.<br>She was so fucking beautiful to him now.  
>' And I was... Fionna, I was... I've never felt like that before. And I didn't want to feel that way.' He admitted, his fingers nervously twisting themselves into knots with eachother. He couldn't bring himself to look at her face, because if she understood what he was saying and she was interested in him, he had just crushed her dreams. He'd revive them soon enough but he didn't want to see the devastation.<br>' So I went home. I get how that must've looked to you now, after the whole thing with- Uh, that wasn't why I left and I-I know that you would've been really confused and I'm sorry 'bout that.' Fionna stayed silent, sensing that there was something big on the event horizon of this conversation but she wasn't quite sure what it was. Something had happened while Marshall was at home, and it had something to do with her or he wouldn't bother telling her. Most thing with Marshall were on a strictly need-to-know or only-if-you-ask-directly basis.

' While I was there, my mother told me something about vampires that I didn't know before. Vampires don't need to have kids the normal way, 'cause of the venom, but we can and I'd always figured that was just, y'know. Great. Okay. Big deal, who cares? But so the species will keep evolving, I found out there's a thing that vampires over the age of a thousand do called imprinting.' Fionna had sat up a little straighter and swallowed apprehensively when Marshall had mentioned kids. He hadn't failed to notice this, and had laughed internally, realising his reaction would've been very similar when his mum was talking.  
>' Every twenty five years or so, my instincts will randomly select a girl and I'll imprint on her. It makes her the only thing I can think about, all I want and everything I need. She's the sun and the moon and air and blood and no matter what I do or whatever else I want, she takes priority over everything.' He paused for a second, and finally allowed himself some meaningful eye contact with Fionna, and he was surprised to see that it didn't look like she'd figured where he was going with this.<br>' Fionna, I've imprinted on you.'

Her breath intake was audible and Marshall winced slightly, before flicking his tongue out over his dry lips and continuing.  
>' The time I spend imprinted lasts about four months to half a year. Obviously, it's been a little over a week already. And Gobdammit Fi, I've wanted you every fucking second of every hour of every day for the last ten days. It's bloody torture.' He sighed, passing a hand over his eyes, then looked at the stunned adventuress, who after a few second finally opened her mouth to say something.<br>' So... every twenty five years... your body picks a girl... and for four months it tells you to go make babies with her all day, every day.' She said haltingly, her words half a statement as well as a question. Marshall-lee laughed once, out of a cynical amusment.  
>' Yeah, that's actually pretty accurate.' Fionna floundered, trying to come up with a suitable comparison for her to make sense of this phenomena. It sounded so inconvenient and annoying, but also inevitable and downright... icky.<br>' So vampires have like, reverse, drawn out... man-periods?'

The disgust on Fionna's face was quickly replaced by a sheepish regret as the disgust on Marshall's was approximately three hundred percent worse than hers had been. It was also combined with shock and the pre-stage of anger.  
>' W-what!? No, it- Ew! No, fuck no! EW!'<br>' Well, I-I just mean instead of making you all angry it makes you all lovey-dovey and instead of not being able to make babies all you want and can do is-'  
>' Fionna, you are diggin' yourself into a fucking grave, just shut up! Eww!' She immediately closed her mouth and blinked down at the floor, suitable chastised. For a short amount of time, all Marshall could do was shake his head and intermittently exclaim 'Ew!' in a variety of different tones.<p>

Then he let out a long, tired sigh, that clearly said "I'm too done for this *various expletives*" and rubbed his temples with one hand. Fionna looked up at him and was dismayed to see just how unlike the larger-than-life, cocky boy she knew the man in front of her was. Marshall-lee could be like a tornado, a destructive force of nature when he chose to be. This tired, pessimistic creature looked as if he could barely chase the wind.  
>' I don't wanna pressure you here Fionna, and as you've just displayed you're so fucking young. You shouldn't need to be involved in this, and if I thought I could've stayed away I would have.' He looked up at her, his eyebrows pulled together and his face somewhere between an apology and melancholy<br>' But baby, I'm literally dying without you. I can't handle this feeling, not for six more months. I can't handle knowing that you're right there, so close to me, all I want and all that would make me alright again and I can't have you. It's killing me.' He told her morosely, gesturing to her weakly with one hand that dropped down like the muscles in his arm had just given up. The silence that stretched afterwards, probably for only five seconds at most, could've lasted forever.

Marshall was the one who broke it.  
>' You don't have to figure out what to do about me right n-'<br>' I'll stay.' There was more silence.  
>' You what?'<br>' I'll stay. I'll stay with you, until it wears off and you're back to normal.' Fionna told him, her voice clearly much more calm and collected than she was. She looked apprehensive and worried but he also detected an odd note of excitement that gave him a glimmer of something he had almost forgotten existed: Hope.  
>' What about Cake? There's no way she'd allow this.'<br>' And she's not my mom, she can't tell me what to do.' Fionna replied firmly, and Marshall was a little shocked at the unwarranted ferocity. She then relaxed slightly and began to look a little worried, which was honestly more the emotion he had been expecting.  
>' We uh- She's mad at me right now, we had a fight. Obviously, I'll have to let her know I won't be around but I'm old enough to make up my own mind and she can't stop m-'<br>' Fionna, are you sure?' Marshall-lee interrupted, still not quite believing she either understood what she was agreeing to or that she had fully considered whether she should.  
>' Yes, I am.'<br>' But what if you get knocked up? I mean, I-I definitely won't be trying but it could happen, and even if she can't tell you what to do it won't be good for you and Cake-'  
>' Marshall, if it's hurting you so bad, then I'm not gonna just stand by and watch you suffer if there's something I can do about it. Dude, even after just a week of it you look rough. I want to help you, and if you need me then I'm there.'<br>Marshall had to resist the want to simultaneously begin to laugh and cry. That's what he had been afraid of. This is exactly what he had said to fucking Alexander, the bastard who made him change his mind. Fionna was just too kind for her own good, and the second she realised she could help someone her ownself immediately became second priority. It was her personality's biggest flaw as much as the thing that made him glad that he could blame the way she made him feel on the imprinting.  
>' I don't wanna... ruin you.' He said in a small voice, and it was utterly disconcerting for poor Fionna. She had never seen Marshall-lee look so afraid.<br>' I don't think you will.' she told him evenly, looking him straight in the eye.

Yes, she understood that everything that was to happen between them, at least physically, was to be the result of the imprinting. But if all he wanted was to spend his time with her for the next half-year, they would get to know each other as people rather well. And if she decided that the man she got to know wasn't who she wanted, then she would walk away when it ended. It wouldn't be unscathed, probably not, but she would walk away, another adventure come to an end. And if she decided otherwise, then she had six months to make him want her to stay even when he didn't need her to.

**Author's note: I seriously considered abbreviating Marshall's explanation, because you guy have heard it all before and I figured you might get bored. But then a friend gave me the most GOLDEN fucking line and I knew I just had to use it, so it's all in there. I hope it wasn't too much of a drag. The lingerie shopping thing is actually something I've done with a friend to help her get her confidence up for a date. Even if sex isn't what you're aiming for the night to end in, just knowing that you look really hot can be a huge help to insecure ladies. Besides, I like developing Fionna and Femme's friendship, and depending on the way her and Gumball's relationship goes it'll probably be a good idea for them to get along, huh?  
><strong>**So, as I'm sure you can all guess, next chapter is going to be lemon. Not sure if it will entirely be though, there's a couple of other things I'm considering getting started. We'll just have to wait and see!**

**-WRA**


	19. Chapter 19- Don't Hurt Her

**Author's WARNING: This is like, all lemon. At least 4,000 words-worth. So do with that info what you will, and it ain't my fault if someone looks over your shoulder while you're sitting on your iPhone in maths reading porn xD**

' So.. H-how are we gonna do this?' Fionna asked after a moment, when it appeared that Marshall was too surprised by her immediate decision to say anything. He blinked at her then swallowed, one hand travelling up towards his head, and seeming to divert to the back of his neck at the last second.  
>' I, uh... To be entirely honest Bunny, I hadn't thought you would say yes so easily. I mean, you've never done anything like this before, and what I'm asking you... It's a long time for a human.'<br>' Shut it, I've made up my mind, don't try and change it.' Fionna told him with a hint of steel, folding her arms again.  
>' And also, give me a little credit, you and Femme are as bad as each other. I'm not some pure, blushing maiden, I know what happens.' Marshall-lee raised an eyebrow at her cynically.<br>' Not for long though.' Fionna blushed and stood up rather quickly, tucking a curl of her hair back into her hat.  
>' W-who told you that?'<br>' Who do ya think? Femme's my friend too. Well, "friend." Marshall said, raising his hands and etching quotation marks into the air around him.

Fionna sighed and looked down at the ground between her feet, then glared back up at Marshall. She was annoyed at herself for being so awkward and unconfident and freaking innocent, she didn't want to appear that way in front of him. But there was nothing she could do about it either, because she was very inexperienced.  
>' You still haven't answered my question.' Marshall ran his fingers through his hair before he could stop himself and then thrust his hands deep into his pockets, unable to met her eyes as he shrugged.<br>' That's 'cause I-I don't know. This is hardly the way and the reason most people have their first times.'  
>' Well, you're the one who's done it before, tell me what to do!'<br>' I thought you said you know?'  
>' Well, y-yeah but- Marshall!' She pleaded, her cheeks burning bright red and almost wanting to cry with frustration and humilation. Marshall sighed, studying her as he bit his lip guiltily. That was such a pretty colour adorning her cheeks. He had always liked making her blush, but in this case it was a mixed reaction. She looked upset, and he guessed it was the imprinting that was making him so goddamn empathetic but he hated it, he hated that she felt that way and that it was his fault.<p>

Impulsively, he floated over to her and cupped her face in both hands, feeling his lukewarm skin heat up with the blood burning under hers. However, it wasn't just that, it was like at every point where they touched his nerves started to crackle and sparkle, sending jolts of electricity up his arm. It was like his limbs were suddenly coming alive again and he hadn't even noticed they had been dead for a week.  
>Fionna's breathing had sped up, and he could hear her heart thumping dramatically in her chest as he leaned in towards her. He hesitated just before contact, and breathed in her scent, and the sense of relief as well as excitement it gave him was like the first time he had ever tasted blood, the first mouthful. It was heady and intoxicating and it gave him the feeling that when he had taken all she could give he would experience true satisfaction.<p>

Fionna felt Marshall shudder slightly when his lips first pressed against hers. They were oddly cool and it felt unnatural in a different way to how Flame Prince did. But she had little time to consider that as Marshall's fingertips edged under her hat and gripped into her hair, tugging her head upwards. When she opened her mouth and inhaled sharply at the pain he immediately made use of the gap and slid his tongue between her lips, using his own jaw to force her to open hers wider. It was unprecedented and Fionna was confused and scared for a few seconds, and she automatically raised her hands to push him off. But Marshall was holding her head too firmly for her to move, so she tentatively tried to respond to his actions. However, this only made him even more frantic, and she yelped and shoved his chest when he dragged his teeth roughly over her lower lip.  
>Fionna overbalanced and fell hard onto the floor, one hand going to her mouth and checking whether he had drawn blood. She could feel she was shaking, and her breathing was shallow and erratic.<br>Marshall-lee watched her uncomfortably, feeling a hideous sense of regret and annoyance at his own lack of self-control well up in his stomach like vomit. When she finally looked up at him, she looked frightened. Then as she wiped her mouth, she took a deep breath and swallowed, squeezing her eyes shut for a second.

' I-I know you're not... I get that 'cause it's instinctual- and also, 'cause you waited so long before you came back... I know you're not trying to be rough, you're just-... C-can you try and be more gentle?' She ended weakly, her eyebrows pulled together and blinking rapidly. That was a hell of a first kiss. She didn't regret her decision to help, hell no, but she was a little apprehensive about what might follow after that. She didn't want to come out of this as bruised and sore as she was when she fought a chimera or climbed down a skinny crevice into a cave.  
>' I'm sorry. I didn't mean- it's... It's hard to control.' He replied sheepishly, offering her his hand. Fionna looked at it for a second, then took it, twisting her mouth to the side. She studied him as she dusted off her backside, then bit her lip. Which was a bad idea, as the recently tenderised flesh ached in protest.<br>' This isn't going to be easy at first, is it?' She half-stated, frowning at him worriedly. Marshall-lee sighed, scratching the back of his head.  
>' No. No it's not.' Fionna poked her tongue into her cheek thoughtfully as she decided what she would do next.<p>

Marshall opened his mouth and Fionna held up a hand, recognising what he was about to do.  
>' Stop. Apologising. It's not your fault.' She put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him once, very <em>very<em> gently, just the barest brush of skin. The fact that Marshall managed to keep himself from trying to deepen it gave her the necessary assurance she was looking for. She could do this, she just needed to make him communicate and listen to her so he wouldn't go too far.  
>' Wha- where are you going?' Marshall-lee questioned when she let him go and turned away, and he couldn't help be hypnotised by the pendulum that was her hips. He was disgusted with himself even as he thought it, you horny undead chauvinistic pig, because it was his gobdamn sex drive that was currently causing all his problems. But he also knew that even if he wasn't imprinted on her, with the way she acted and the way she looked now (that outfit was straight out of a fucking wet dream) he would've admired it all the same.<br>' Up to your room.' She answered, starting to scale the ladder. Marshall waited until she was out of sight, then took a deep breath, _did not_ run his fingers through his _fucking_ hair, and followed her.

Marshall balked and clenched his fist so hard that his nails dug into his palms when he saw Fionna standing at the foot of his bed, taking off the denim jacket she was wearing and her rabbit hat. There was a forced nonchalance to the way she tugged off the hat and shook her hair out, and for a moment the vampire was mesmerised by the river of blonde curls that dropped down to the floor. But he could see she really wasn't as calm as she wished she was, and after swallowing down his discomfort at how feral he felt as his eyes traced the lines of her body, he drifted over to her.  
>He wrapped his fingers around her wrist when she reached down for the garter strap and she froze, looking at him in confusion. There was a light shade of pink dusting her nose and cheeks, and it reminded him of a cupcake with chocolate sprinkles as he detected the freckles that resided there also. That was a detail his mind had failed to conjure up.<p>

' Let me. I think it'll help.' He said, leaving it unspoken that it wouldn't just be helping him. He didn't want her to be frightened by him and what he needed from her. He'd screwed up, loosing it so quickly before. However, the concentration required to undress her might help him tamp down on the violent, animalistic edge to the desire, and if he could show her that he could be gentle, like she wanted(and needed) him to be, then maybe she'd stop being so tense. Her being tense was making him tense and it was not good considering how badly he just wanted to rip away the fabric that denied him access and claim her.  
>Steady on, man. You can manage. Don't hurt her.<p>

Fionna gave her consent after half a surprised second, and Marshall decided he'd rather start up top then go straight for the business area. He pulled her around so that she was facing him, and he felt a flash of heat bloom through her skin as he untied the bow that finished the lacing on her bustier. He had been watching his hands, and what was just in front of them as he completed the action, but his eyes flickered up to her face afterwards and he couldn't help but smile at her expression. She looked so gorgeously naive and innocent, as well as a mixture of curiosity and embarassment. The embarrassment became greater when she saw him looking at her, and she awkwardly turned her head to the side and tucked her hair behind her ear as he started to unlace her top.  
>Marshall bit the insides of his cheeks to hide the intensity of his reaction when he took the leather away and revealed the cherry red and black bra underneath. Gob. He wanted to drink that colour then immediately get rid of the undeniable sexy but still barring obstacle.<br>Fionna's arms twitched and she clenched and unclenched her fingers nervously. She wanted to fold her arms, she hadn't be prepared for just how much looking and observing and _staring_ was going to happen.  
>Marshall somehow noticed that she wasn't happy with his visual appreciation, so he eventually managed to tear his eyes away from her cleavage and instead leaned in and kissed her sweetly, carefully controlling it. Even without having made use of his tongue, Fionna was still breathless by the time he'd finished, and with a soft push on her shoulders she sat down on the edge of his bed. Marshall-lee knelt in front of her with his knees on either side of her hips and kissed her again, keeping his hands chastely placed on her waist even as his fingers itched to undo her bra. His whole body felt jittery and wild, like there was a huge pulsating ball of energy filling up his torso and just pleading and begging desperately to be allowed to run free.<p>

He waited until Fionna tentatively ran her tongue along his upper lip before he moved his hands and returned the gesture, but she still jumped when he started to unhook the strap.  
>She felt guilty when he immediately stopped, and studied her, his eyes guarded and behind that, worried. He was as scared of hurting her as she was of being hurt, and he was trying so hard not to but it was still her first time, so that was enough to make anyone nervous. Coupled with the fact that she knew he freaking needed this and how harshly he had kissed her before, it was stressing her out.<br>' I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I just-'  
>' Fionna, do you trust me?' He asked, and she was about to say yes but then she thought about it. In this sort of situation, it seemed like honesty was definitely the best policy.<br>' I don't know.' She replied truthfully, and Marshall pressed his lips together for a second. Yeah, he probably deserved that.  
>' Do you think you could?'<br>'...Yes.'

Satisfied with this answer, Marshall ducked his head and pressed his lips into the underside of her jaw, before kissing his way up to and ever so softly biting her earlobe. Fionna discovered she actually quite liked the sensation, and gave a small noise in appreciation. Marshall had been led to believe by her reaction to him biting her lip that it wasn't really her thing, so was still a little hesitant as he shifted down and bit her neck, dragging his tongue over the spot immediately after. One of Fionna's hands laced into his hair as he did so and she arched her neck, and Marshall finally felt as if he was getting a hang of how he needed to go about this. She wasn't a porcelain doll, but she ain't a Raggedy Andy either. Somewhere in between. He wasn't the sort of guy who continually asked ' Is this okay?' preferring to judge based on reactions. But in this case, a mistake could be fatal. Almost literally.  
>' Tell me if you don't like it, 'kay?' He muttered into the crook between her neck and her shoulder, noticing there was a group of three moles in the shape of a triangle there. Fionna nodded and her hair felt soft and fluffy against the side of his face. All the sensations and scents and stimulation her very prescence was giving off to him made him feel slightly drunk, like he had just had several tequila shots. The haze made him want to give in to that raging energy ball all the more, but when his hands skimmed her back she felt so soft and warm that he believed it would tear her to bits with its ferocity. He couldn't just dissolve into her, not yet, his actions <em>had<em> to remain conscious.  
>Fionna wasn't as worried when she felt Marshall undo the strap of her bra this time, but she still didn't like the way he stared after he pushed her down onto the covers, so that he was supended above her on all fours. It made her feel all exposed and vulnerable, and seeing as he was still pretty much fully clothed it also didn't seem fair.<p>

It took Marshall-lee a minute to realise Fionna was undoing his shirt because he was so absorbed with her breasts. Glob, those thing were perfect. He had never thought such a thing was possible because, y'know, boobs. All of them were perfect because of what they were. He had been proven wrong though, and was continuing to be proven wrong by the example of complete and utter faultlessness in front of him. They were made for him, they must have been.  
>When he did realise however, he sat back a little and helped her push the sleeves off his arms, casting it aside before leaning over and kissing her again. The feeling of his hands on her chest reminded Fionna of when he had broken into her room, but seeing as her arms weren't restrained this time she was able to brush the confusing memory aside. It did feel good though, and she accidentally bit Marshall's lip when he ran his thumb lightly over the tip of one of her nipples. He didn't seem to mind though, instead humming happily as his hand ghosted further down her body and he broke away from her lips to work on her neck again.<br>They had seemed to find a sort of rhythm thankfully, and Fionna was glad that she was finally starting to relax as Marshall unclipped her garter straps and took off her boots and socks, running his hands up her calves to her thighs. The way she touched him was more tentative then his purposeful movements, because while she could admire the way his body looked she wasn't exactly sure what she should do with it. She was mostly content just to hold on to him at the moment and he didn't seem to find anything wrong with that.  
>Fionna absently noticed a characteristic bulge in the crotch of his jeans and her relaxation disappeared rather quickly as she remembered a line from that book Cake had given her to read:<p>

_The first time a girl has sex, it can be a little painful. The vagina is a muscle, and like all muscles, needs to be stretched. This will happen during sex and sometimes the first few times it can be overstretched, like any other muscle._

It wasn't like she could tell much given he still had his pants on, but his, uhm... It didn't look exactly small. The knowledge had been running in the back of her mind and firing her nerves, but now that she was really thinking about it, it made her want to cringe into a little ball so she wouldn't have to find out whether it would hurt.  
>She could take pain, that was no problem. It was just being hurt <em>there<em>? Of all places? Given how badly period cramps ached she didn't want to know how badly overstretched vagina could ache. She hadn't even known it was a muscle until she read the book (it was obvious in retrospect though, a baby wasn't gonna just fall out of there)  
>Her train of thought was scrambled when Marshall's mouth found it's way onto her chest and he started to suck, licking and prodding at the pinkish nub. A loud, wanton moan escaped from her throat before she could stop it and she blushed dramatically, mortified by the unwarranted noise. Marshall growled appreciatively, his hands finding their way up her skirt and starting to tug impatiently on her shorts. She allowed him to pull them down her legs ( Gob, he fuckin' <em>loved<em> her legs. They were so sexy. She was so sexy. All of her. Everything.) then yelped in surprise when Marshall followed by instantly removing her skirt and underwear, every remaining scrap of material gone in a flash. It kind of made her think that the shopping expedition earlier had been a little pointless, like wrapping a present for an overexcited child. They don't care about the effort you put into tying the bow.

She tried to pull her legs in and curl up automatically, but Marshall's waist was between her knees so she couldn't. Fionna started to panic when one of his hands skimmed up the exposed skin of her thigh, and she quickly wound her fingers into his hair and tugged hard to get his attention.  
>' M-marshall, slow down!' She stammered breathlessly, and his fingers stopped their ascent literally inches from their goal. He lifted his head from her chest and Fionna noticed that he was panting, which sort of shocked her. Marshall-lee was technically dead, and had said to her before that the only reason he breathed in the first place was for the sake of scent. But she could see his shoulders rise and fall and his chest expanding and she suddenly had an inkling as to just how badly she was affecting him.<br>The both just stared at each other for a short time, then Marshall pushed himself off of her and back onto his knees, biting his lip at how the movement caused his jeans a moment of uncomfortable and frustrating friction. Fionna immediately closed her legs ( She was not letting him stare at that). Marshall-lee pressed the base of his left palm into his eye for a second and rubbed, trying to expand his thought process beyond 'fuck her.'  
>Gob, he hadn't realised it would be so <em>difficult<em>. He should have, but he had thought it would've been convincing her that was going to be hard. The actual sex part had happened a million times in his head but obviously, his fantasies didn't allow for the realism of making a mistake.  
>'.. c'mere.' He murmured after a second, sitting back and opening his arms, making a come hither gesture with his hands. Fionna blinked at him, randomly appreciating the muted, though slightly ominous glow of his dark red eyes, then got onto her hands and knees and crawled towards him. His hands stroked down her arms, then underneath them to her ribs.<br>' Turn around.' He told her and she did so, a little confused as to what he wanted.

His arms wrapped around her chest just below her breasts and tugged her down against him, so that she was leaning on him with his legs splayed on either side of her. Her angle was such that only her upper back was in contact with him. Then Marshall ducked his head and kissed her cheek, then down her neck and the top of her left shoulder. Fionna inhaled through her nose and mewled slightly when his hands cupped her boobs and he started kneading at them, rolling his palms over her nipples. The sensation made her arch her back, pressing her chest more firmly into his hands, and Marshall bit her neck softly as he took that as a cue to let his right hand drift lower again.

He settled for just drawing circles in her pubic hair for a little while, watching out for any complaints on her behalf. But then her shoulders rolled and her body shivered and she gave a low noise of impatience that went straight from his ears to his groin. He slowly ran his fingers down, waiting for the characteristic twitch n' hitch that meant he had found the right spot.  
>Fionna couldn't help but groan between her teeth when he started to stroke and rub, his touch skilled and confident, arousing her almost faster than she could herself. Because he was still playing with her breast, pretty soon her body felt as if a million tiny pins were pricking the inside of her skin over and over again, and she cried out loudly at the overstimulation, too caught up to be embarrassed.<br>' Tell me when you're gonna cum, baby.' Marshall murmured, then drew his tongue around the shell of her ear and bit the lobe again. Fionna couldn't reply with words, only sounds as he moved even faster, collecting the liquid that was spilling from her and using it to make his movements smoother and altogether more maddening. She recognised the beginning of her climax and Marshall felt her start to tense up, her body shivering and making her pant shallowly.  
>' A-aahh, J-just a little more... Marshall...' He growled under his breath and bit the top of her shoulder, hard. When she said his name like that... <em>damn.<em> His fangs pricked her skin but incredibly, the regular lust overrided the blood lust and prevented the flavour of the first real human blood he had ever tasted from sending him into a frenzy. It was a fact he would only realise later, and one he would keep to himself, because it sincerely made him more frightened of how strong the imprinting was.

The shock of pain catapulted Fionna to the top much faster than she was expecting and she screamed as she came, grabbing onto Marshall's legs on either side of her and digging her nails into the fabric. Her back snapped inwards and her head backwards, and Marshall was able to watch her expression as she arched over his shoulder, her mouth open and her face so ecstatic it almost looked like pain. Just her expression alone was nearly enough for him to follow her all too quickly.  
>She was in the middle of the aftershocks when he moved out from behind her and laid her down, so she didn't protest. But he saw her watching him through half-lidded eyes as he undid his jeans, wincing at the way the fabric pulled (he was so <em>fucking<em> hard, it wasn't funny)  
>She looked so exhausted that he didn't notice she was worried until he had gotten rid of his jockeys and had lain down over her again, suspending himself above her on his elbows. She was recovering quite quickly and even though she was still gasping heavily, she was still alert and eyeing him apprehensively as she wrapped her arms around his back.<br>' This isn't gonna be painful, r-right?' She mumbled, licking her lips and blinking rapidly.  
>' Maybe. Tell me if it's too much.' Marshall kissed her once, to calm himself, before he raised back up and pushed her legs further apart with one hand.<p>

' U-Uh.' She groaned shortly, cutting herself off and squeezing her eyes shut as he started to press into her. Her thighs were shaking and a flash of heat brought an instant slick of sweat across the surface of her skin. Marshall almost wanted to stop, to give her a little time to adjust, but no matter how much he thought that his body ignored his intentions. _Ah_. Gob, had he ever fucked a virgin before? She was soft and he could move easily, which assured him that she was indeed prepared to take him, but it was still so _tight_. Cheesus rice.  
>Keep it together, Marshall. Keep it t-... Uhh...<br>He was all the way in before her realised he'd forgotten a condom, or any sort of birth control really, and he cursed mentally. But his vague concern changed directions and became more focused when he looked at Fionna and saw that there were tears welling up beneath her tightly closed lashes, her brow screwed up and her lower lip shaking.  
>' It h-hurts' She squeaked, her words interrupted by a breath so shaky it was almost a hiccup. Marshall didn't say anything, all of his concentration directed towards <em>not<em> moving, _not_ loosing control and humping her like a dog. He kissed her cheek, almost in apology, before he rocked his hips slowly and almost literally saw stars burst in front of his eyes._ Gob, give me strength._  
>Fionna made a small noise in discomfort again and her hands clenched on his back, curling into fists rather than digging her nails in. The sensation was so strange all by itself that she wasn't sure whether she actually liked it or not, and combined with the strong, strained ache near her entrance it was unpleasant at the very least. However, as Marshall continued the sluggish movement, having to contain that explosive energy ball now more than ever, she realised that if the vagina was a muscle, as well as being stretched, it could also be relaxed. And when she finally figured out exactly how to do that, she exhaled loudly and clutched him to her tighter as the pain lessened and she decided she actually did quite like the feeling of him inside of her.<p>

' You okay?' Marshall murmured curtly into her ear, before grunting slighty as she clenched and relaxed again, his shoulders shuddering for a second. The words _'hold on' _were running like a mantra through his head, a steady chant matching the pump of her heartbeat. But it was getting fainter.  
>' Mm.' She assented and Marshall tentatively picked up the pace, the fact she had already cum meaning there was enough lubrication that he knew it wouldn't be scraping her roughly. However, with the speed his iron-grasp over his desire began slipping, and Fionna gripped him worriedly as he hit her hard enough to make her tighten in surprise and she yelped at the shock of pain when he dragged himself back out.<br>' M- Ah, Marshall-lee!' Her cry was more alarmed than aroused and he could hear that, but the unbelievable stimulation, stronger than any he'd had before, stopped him from slowing down or easing up. He tried, but it would've taken a herculean amount of effort and when he was so close and had been waiting so fucking long he just didn't have it in him.  
><em>I'm sorry, Fi.<em>

Fionna mewled frantically at the pain, clawing desperately at his back to try and get him to stall, but nothing worked so she just focused on trying to stay relaxed as her body jerked with each hard, jagged thrust. But it was bringing tears to her eyes and all she could think, all she wanted was for it to stop.  
>Marshall vaguely told himself he ought to pull out, but when he was loosing all restraint so thoroughly it was almost a laughable notion to even attempt it. And then every notion, all of his thoughts and emotions, his entire self was obliterated as he came in a empty white-noise headspace where there was nothing but all-consuming pleasure.<br>Fionna cried out weakly at a final, forceful thrust and then made a tiny noise in surprise at the sudden burst of liquid heat deep within her in a place she didn't know existed. Marshall had yelled out something or other but she was too preoccupied with the pain to figure out what it was.

Marshall-lee gasped heavily, his shoulders shaking and straining to keep him aloft above her and sweat beading on his forehead as he rode out the aftershock, feeling throughout his entire body like he was drowning in white-hot gold. Fucking Nirvana indeed. Holy hell.  
>It took him a while to find himself again and make it back to reality, but as he pulled out he recognised an odd, empty feeling in his stomach as a sense of dread. He only realised his vision had blurred when it refocused as he looked up.<br>Fionna was biting the side of her hand as he freed himself from her tender flesh, her body trembling and a tear trickling its way from the outer corner of her eye as she stared at the ceiling, where it was absorbed by his sheets.  
>Oh, crap.<p>

**Author's note: Hm. Yeah. This was difficult to write. This arc will continue next chapter but then I'll be mixing it up again, probs. So, hang on, it doesn't stay all sad an' Oh-God-So-Cringe-Please-Kill-Me, promise. Oh and yaaaay, more than 100 reviews. Thank you all so much for reading, we're up to the sexytimes at least. Even if they're terrible and awkward right now. I'm so sorry.**

-**WRA**

**Guest reviews: ( I missed last chapter's oops)  
>blashfoiweagawio: I'm glad you like Femme, but she ain't actually an OC, she's a genderbend of a character from the comic book canon. His name is Guy and Guygum is a semi canonical relationship in that they were both kinda like I would enjoy being all up in your grill but it never really happened. :( So I made it happen, shoot me.<strong>

**Guest: I enjoy rocking serious socks, they ought to lighten up and have fun more often. Thank you for the review!**

**TooLazyToLogin: But not too lazy to leave a review. Thanks!**


	20. Chapter 20- Some Gettin' Used To

Somehow, even thought it made absolutely no sense, it hurt even worse when he wasn't inside her. Without the distraction of that odd sensation of being overfilled, the aches and pains were all that were left.  
>She didn't blame him though, she really didn't. The way he looked at her, when she had made him stop before was like a starving man staring at a banquet table that was just out of reach. He even looked as if he had been starved, she wasn't entirely sure but he seemed thinner than usual, his cheekbones more clearly defined and the hollows bordering on gauntness. When she was the medicine of a clearly sick man, she couldn't hold it against him if he took his first dose too eagerly.<br>Even if she had been angry with him, that still wouldn't have stopped it from hurting anyway. There was no point in it. But more than that, what upset her the most was the overwhelming sense of disappointment.

The romanticism of loosing her virginity had been crushed for her. Even though he had made her feel good at first, coupled with how awful she felt now and how uncomfortable she had been trying to figure out what the hell was happening ninety percent of the time, her first experience with the full measure of sex was not the shiny, rose-tinted thing she had imagined it would be. She truthfully hadn't expected it would end up going there tonight. Perhaps a little touchy feely if he had had a good reason, but nothing more. She had thought she would've been more prepared, been more used to being with Marshall and being around him romantically.  
>Even then, she had still expected it to be a little awkward. But she hadn't expected it to be so frantic and scary at times. Watching Marshall-lee struggle to keep a hold of himself when she was so vulnerable to him was frightening, and the fact that he hadn't suceeded only made the disappointment worse. Because she couldn't help but wonder what it might have been like if he wasn't so desperate.<p>

' F-Fionna? Baby?' Fionna blinked rapidly and realised she was crying when she felt a tear drip down the side of her face. His voice was enough to rouse her from her thoughts and when she saw he wasn't on top of her anymore, she sat up automatically. However, with the clench of her abs came a short sharp shock of pain, and she cringed and made a small noise, gritting her teeth. One arm automatically spasmed protectively towards her mid-section and her body curled around the damaged area, hunching her back.  
>Marshall watched her in dismay, experiencing an extraordinary amount of guilt, so much so that it made him feel slightly sick.<br>' Fuck. I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Glob, Bunny-blue, I'm so, so sorry.' He apologised all in a rush, reaching out and putting one of his arms around her shoulder. He was grateful that she didn't cringe away from his touch, putting to rest his fears that she would be afraid of him now. But the look on her face. It couldn't hurt worse if she picked up a dagger and slotted it between his ribs.  
>' Fionna, I didn't- I-I tried, I tried so <em>fucking<em> hard... Baby_, _I-' His voice was growing thick and he realised he was nearly crying himself. This was _not_ what happened when you had literally just finished having sex.  
>' Don't.' She interrupted with one curt word, curling up into a tight little ball and falling against his chest, the side of her forehead resting on the middle of his collabones. Marshall encircled her with his arms and stroked reassuringly down her bicep with his thumb, putting his chin on the top of her head. It was like all his internal organs were liquifying into a grainy soup of remorse, and he swallowed against the fat lump of conscience in his throat. She felt so incredibly fragile encased in his grasp, so small and delicate compared to his immortal self. It was hard to reconcile that feeling with how tough he knew she was. But she couldn't power through everything in life, especially not love and sex, a woman that could was rare. She was only sixteen and she was still learning, able to be warped and broken. He hadn't handled her carefully enough.<p>

'Fi, I-'  
>' I thought I said... t-to stop apologising? It's not your fault, you didn't know what would happen anymore than I did. And I decided to go through with it, s-so shut your mouth.' She sniffed, and Marshall rubbed her shoulder soothingly, obliging her even though it seemed cruel.<br>This girl was a freaking angel that heaven sent to earth by mistake. Somehow she had completely understood, from his terse explanation. She didn't even seem to want to blame him, and considering how completely he'd failed her that was a fucking miracle. However, he also felt like she was deliberately taking some of the responsibility from him by acknowledging he had little choice in the matter, while she had nothing but. He didn't want her to shoulder all of the conscience for the pain she was feeling. He may not like responsibility (and that was putting it mildly) but he wasn't going to pawn it off to her. Especially her of all people, considering how he felt at the moment.  
>Thing is, he knew she didn't see it like that. She only felt she was accepting the consequences of her own actions, not wrongfully justifying his. Which is what it was like to him, whether that was the case or not.<p>

' I could've stayed away. I could've just not told you, stayed home and waited for it to wear off and then nothing would have happened. I knew that I might hurt you and I still-' He muttered, chewing unhappily on his lip and squeezing her protectively. Fionna shook her head, letting go of her knees and placing one of her hands gently on his forearm.  
>' No. It was killing you, Marshall-lee. You weren't lying when you said that.' She pushed herself away from his chest and gave him a wobbly smile.<br>' Besides, everyone knows that the first time you do something it won't be the best. My first adventure sucks compared to some of the ones I've been on since, it's only special because it was the first. We've got six months to get better, right?'

Marshall huffed a disbelieving sigh and blinked at her, shaking his head slightly at her unfailing optimism and goodwill. For Satan's sake. A person like her should be impossible. How had she not used up her quota of forgiveness and tolerance several years ago?  
>Actually, he could answer that. It was because the place she drew both from was limitless. It made her even more precious.<br>Even the people she disliked, the ones she could assume the worst of, she held no sort of grudge against them. People like Ice Queen and Lumpy Space Prince, the ones she didn't necessarily get along with, she would still help them if they needed her for a good enough reason. And if they changed, she wouldn't hold who they had been against them. It wasn't that she was a person who forgives, she was just a person who gives, period. Eventually she would disappear because she'd have given everything she was away.

' You're too fucking nice for your own good, y'know.' He told her, cupping her face with one hand and swiping his thumb across the drying salt snail trails on her cheek. Fionna gave a watery chuckle, and looked down shyly as she placed one of her hands over his.

He took her into his arms shortly after this, and they stayed cuddled up for a while, Marshall doing his best to communicate his emotions without words. He could do the whole thing with words but it just didn't seem right, especially since half of the words he needed to use would be banned under Fionna's 'Don't Apologise.' policy.  
>After she had stopped crying, Fionna had hidden her face in his chest and hadn't moved since. The distinct lack of a heart beat in front of her was unsettling. It was odd to feel his chest expanding with every breath he took but with no familiar two-beat drum track accompanying the movement.<br>She was sort of surprised at how relaxed she was being naked with him now. She wasn't one of those people who let absolutely no-one see her starkers, but Fionna had a healthy sense of inhibition and she was no streaker. Considering Marshall was a dude, and the first one she'd ever seen au naturel, it could only be expected that she would've been less than comfortable being held by him in her current state.  
>But she totally wasn't. After what they had just done, being prudish would be ridiculous. He'd touched everything, whether he saw it too would make no difference. But also, it just kind of felt nice. Even if there was no heat there, his skin was a pleasant temperature and it was smooth and just weirdly right in texture against her own.<p>

'Fionna, I gotta get you something.' Marshall murmured eventually, after a long internal debate about when he should bring it up. He had made _so_ many gobdamn mistakes earlier, and he had to keep rectifying them.  
>Fionna sniffed then pushed herself away from his chest, and Marshall began a mental scrapbook starting with how sweet she looked with her bangs all mussed and sticking out in all directions.<br>' What is it?' Marshall extricated all of his limbs from her and the curling blonde tendrils fanning across the sheets, and stood up next to his bed, absently fixing his hair. Fionna tried to be subtle about how she eyed his body, noticing how much thinner and more equilateral he was compared to Flame Prince. The Fire elemental used to look very similar to the vampire, but when she saw him the other day she had noted a very sturdy physique with broad shoulders and thick, compact muscles. Marshall-lee's shoulders weren't all that much wider than his hips, and beneath the long, gentle definition there were points where the base of his ribs and the tops of his hipbones were just visible.  
>However, even though he was clearly not as built as he had the potential to be, he was obviously physically fit, and his stance was graceful and lithe rather than firm or domineering. She wondered how she'd feel about it without anyone to compare him too, but she was kind of glad Marshall wasn't a mountain of a man. That would've only made her frightened of him. The way he looked made her feel like he wasn't much of a physical threat, even though in reality he was much stronger, older and incredibly dangerous to her.<p>

' You like what you see, baby?' He automatically questioned with a smirk when he noticed her looking. His brain caught up with his mouth only after he'd already said it and informed him that "_You sound like an asshole, man. You just hurt her, too soon"._ Fionna wasn't looking when his smile faltered because she had immediately looked down when she felt blood flood into her face.  
>' I-I don't <em>not<em> like it.' She muttered shyly, fiddling with a lock of her hair that was draped across her knee as she shifted into a cross-legged position. Marshall heaved a brain-sigh of relief, picturing both his angel and devil that were supposed to be on everybody's shoulders cringing as they facepalmed and peeked through their fingers in mortification, shaking their heads at one another at how stupid he was. He leaned over and picked up her face gently with one hand, kissing her for a few moments until he felt that evil fucking energy ball in his chest expand and pulsate hopefully, like when a dog smells steak and lifts its head. Only the steak was sex and the dog was his dick. Nope. Not happening. He firmly told his extremely enhanced libido to shut the fuck up.  
>Keeping with that line of thinking, Marshall tugged back on his jeans (He went commando more often than you'd think.)(Or probably want to know.) before he walked over to his bathroom, and crouched down in front of the poky little cupboard beneath the sink, jostling some bottles. He was pretty sure that among the condom boxes and various pain medications he'd tried and established were useless over the years, there were morning-after pills. Just in case, and it was the one thing he'd ever thank his bachelor lifestyle for.<br>When he found the pink and white box (And randomly grabbed one of the pain pill bottles as well, wryly reasoning that was probably a good idea.) He took one and two from them respectively, then took his toothbrush from a glass sitting on the sink and filled the glass with water.

'You've taken pills before?' He asked when he walked back in, holding all of this. Fionna had wrapped herself up in his sheets, one wound across her front then behind and over her shoulders. She nodded as she reached out for them, seeming more curious then confused.  
>' Yeah, when I've been to the candy hospital sometimes. But what are these?' Marshall sat down next to her and put a hand on the back of her head, stroking down her hair then gripping her waist through the fabric.<br>' Two of them are painkillers- They don't work on me, but now I'm glad I didn't throw 'em out- and the other one's a morning-after pill. So you don't get preggers, Fi.' Fionna's eyebrows played chicken with her hairline as she looked back at the pills, and Marshall-lee chewed his lip.  
>' I meant to put on a condom but-'<br>' You were a little distracted?' Fionna interrupted, looking more dryly amused then displeased. Marshall was a little surprised by this, and gave a small laugh as he scratched the back of his head with his free hand.  
>' Uh- I was gonna say I forgot, but that works.' Fionna sighed out her nose, and sucked on her lower lip with an odd expression Marshall couldn't quite place (it wasn't <em>completely <em>disappointment, which was something), before putting all three pills in her mouth and downing them and the whole glass of water in one go.

There was silence that refused stoically to break after Fionna put the empty glass down on the bedside table then looked at Marshall expectantly. He wasn't quite sure what she was waiting for.  
>' Now what?' She eventually offered rather bluntly, having passed out of her hysterics from earlier and arrived at Apathy station. Marshall considered her question for a second, annoyed at how the first thing that came to mind was ' Now you let me fuck you again.' Gob, he hadn't realised the five-time dream was a prophetic vision into how he was gonna feel. The exhaustion was gone, but the stress of resistance was still there. Just that what he was resisting was much, much easier to grasp if he gave in.<br>' I told you that I'm gonna want you constantly for at least four months, Fionna. But seeing as I fucked up pretty tragically just now, when you let me have you again is your choice. If and when.' Fionna sighed, he wasn't quite sure if from relief or for release, and she shook her head at him.  
>' Just when, no Ifs. I don't go back on things, you should know that.' Marshall gave her a tentative, crooked smile, one of his fangs poking out.<br>' And I'm fucking lucky that you don't, babe.' Fionna rolled her eyes and pushed his shoulder.  
>' Damn right you're fucking lucky.'<p>

Marshall-lee involuntarily raised his eyebrows, causing Fionna's expression to go blank like a child who realises it's done something wrong but isn't quite sure what.  
>' W-what?'<br>' Sweetheart, do my ears decieve or did cute little Fionna the Human just cuss?' Fionna blushed and shoved his shoulder again, causing a disbelieving grin to crack a wide chasm over Marshall-lee's features.  
>' Oh, give over, Pasteface. You and your friends were gonna have some sort of influence eventually. Cake thinks swearing is uncouth and stuff, so when she was around almost constantly it wasn't like I was gonna break out the big ones. So it didn't feel natural, but she's been gone and well...' Marshall-lee shook his head, huffing out a huge breath of air from puffed cheeks and collapsed back onto the bed. He grabbed Fionna's arm and tugged her down next to him as he fell, making her squeal in shock.<br>' Wow. I don't think I've even heard you say crap before.'  
>' Well, I ain't a compulsive potty-mouth like you, Marshall-lee.' Fionna squeaked again in surprise when quick as a flash, Marshall had twisted his body over so that his chest was poised diagonally over her. There was a light glowing in the back of his eyes, which had brightened back to their usual crystalline colour. But with that sparkle playing through the faucets of his irises, his gaze was hypnotising, and she didn't even realise how close his face was to hers.<br>' I'd be mad at you, but _dammit,_ Fionna. When you say my name...' He captured her lips after this breathless half-statement, and Fionna found that she was able and willing to respond to his passion. It was only kissing after all, his hands weren't even touching her, and when he wasn't chomping on her he was rather excellent at it.  
>He had kissed her a lot in the short time she had been here, and she liked the more innocent gesture, like a wind-down from the frantic antics of earlier. There was a weak rhythm forming in the way their mouths moved together, and she actively tried to make it stronger, looking forward to the familiarity that would cement it. Marshall was too high off of Fionna-brand ecstasy to notice that she was learning from him, trying to match herself to his style. She believed that easier the physical stuff became, so too would the emotional stuff. Everything had happened too fast for her to figure out how this made her feel about him, but once she was used to what had happened, it would probably become clearer.<p>

She thought, as Marshall switched momentarily away from her lips and bit her neck, that she didn't actually mind biting as such, he just needed to be more gentle. Flame prince bit sometimes as well, though he'd always get flustered and apologetic if he realised what he was doing. Fionna wondered if it was odd how much she was comparing the two, and resolved that she would ask Femme if that was normal before telling her brain to shut up when their mouths reconnected.

The one who was panting the hardest when the two broke away for air was the one who didn't actually need it. Marshall blinked and swallowed as Fionna ran her hands over the top of his shoulders, her thumbs sliding along his collarbones.  
>' ...I like it,' Marshall gasped, finishing his sentence.' Fionna, if I'm getting too- <em>enthusiastic<em>, just push me away or punch me in the face or something. Actually just push me away, it hurts when you punch me in the face.' He amended quickly, and Fionna sent him a look as she grabbed his neck, making Marshall bite involuntarily on his lower lip when her fingers brushed past his scars. Fionna noticed, and filed it away for later exploitation.  
>' That one time. You faked your death dude, you deserved it.'<br>' Ehh...'  
>' Don't you 'eh' me. And don't be scared of biting either, just remember that my mouth meat is still alive and not a hamburger.'<br>' So wait, you do like biting?' Fionna tugged his face down to hers, neglecting to answer until she cheekily caught his lower lip between her teeth and heard Marshall give a small noise in response.

' I don't not like it.' She grinned at him, and it took Marshall a second before he got it.  
>' Ha. Smartass.' He said appreciatively, simultaneously giddy and terrified by the aura of happiness his energy orb had begun to radiate. It was filling him up like a bunch of bubbles with rainbow-coloured oil slicks on their spherical surfaces, and he didn't know how much of it was to blame on the imprinting. Though he wanted to think precisely all of it. But looking at the coy little smile Fionna was giving him, her buck teeth sticking out and her nose wrinkling her freckles into a new pattern and her eyes the most stunning kaleidoscopic shades of blue- he just couldn't be one hundred percent sure that his nature was entirely culpable.<br>He had always thought she was pretty. He had always liked her. Still, he was ninety-nine point nine-nine percent sure that how euphoric he felt with her like this was because currently she was his mate and as far as his body was concerned, he'd just done his level best to knock her up.  
>That little point zero one percent though. It was a quiet, but insistent thought, trying to tell him that he felt like this because he was kissing a girl he was starting to fall in love with.<p>

'What're you looking at?' Fionna asked, a smile in her voice after several silent second of Marshall staring at her. She blinked at him curiously as his eyes darted over her face, his expression caught somewhere between wonder and hunger.  
>' You.'<br>' Why?'  
>' 'Cause you're fucking beautiful.' He drank in the sight of her cheeks filling with colour like a blind man seeing the sunset. His mouth was on autopilot, and somewhere he vaguely felt like it was cruel to let her inside his head when his mind wasn't entirely under his jurisdiction anymore. The army of hormones that had stormed in unexpectedly had managed to set up a sizable camp. No wonder the sane and normal parts were so bloody terrified, he hadn't been on this much dopamine since- well, never really.<br>' T-That's just your instincts-junk talking.' Fionna stammered hesitantly, her fingers suddenly twitchy and nervous on the back of his neck. Marshall stopped for a moment, unsure whether he wanted to confirm or deny that statement. The majority dreamily shook it's head " no," while the oppressed minority curled in its bachelor corner threw up its hands and frantically screamed "fuck yes!"  
>So instead of answering, he just ducked his head against her neck and started licking and kissing her lavishly, taking in as much of her flavour as possible without actually biting her.<br>Her skin had an odd salty taste to it naturally, not just sweat, and it reminded him of the ocean. She would look gorgeous on the beach. Bare feet, white summer dress, long blonde hair frolicking with the wind and a frangipani or something tucked behind her ear. She'd look like a goddess from greek times, a modern-day Aphrodite.  
>He bit her ear as his mental movie camera zoomed in on her face, and Fionna yelped in shock, the tips of her fingers threading up into his hair, but the film didn't even pause. Twilight when he met her there, burnishing everything faintly bronze, and putting the blue of her eyes into sharp contrast. Starlight when she lost her clothes to the wind and walked into the water, her fingers laced between his as she pulled him along behind her and then welcomed him into her while the waves lazily swayed around them.<br>'Marshall-lee!' Fionna gasped with a hint of worry, but it was enough for a reminder of that heaving sense of regret to send a nauseous pang through his stomach, and he immediately stilled. He hadn't even realised he had started pawing at her breast with one hand through the sheet, nor that the other was wrestling with it where it obstructed his hips from slotting between her knees.  
>' Not there again. N-not yet,' she said, her tone just slightly, gut-wrenchingly wobbly.<p>

'Fuck,' He muttered curtly, pushing himself off of her and curling in on himself, one hand tangling firmly in his hair and the other holding his ankle in a death lock, his knuckles white as sea foam. Fionna sat up and took a few calming breaths, before turning towards him.  
>His face was hidden by his hair but she could see his breathing was laboured, every muscle pulled taught and strained as he fought against his impulses. It seemed that after the all-consuming desire was finally sated, even if only for a short time, he could now haul himself back into the safe area before he lost control. She could see how difficult it was for him to keep himself there though, and how hard he was trying to keep her safe. It broke her heart to see him so frustrated.<p>

Fionna crawled around on her hands and knees until she was in front of him again, and she peeked up around his arm to look at his face. His eyes were tightly squeezed shut, but when they snapped open moments later she could see his pupils had shrunk to slits.  
>He didn't resist when she lifted her head and started kissing him again, sweet and slow rather than sexy ( She hadn't quite figured out how to do that) but after a moment his hands were suddenly on her shoulders, pushing her away.<br>' Stop. I can't.' He muttered through gritted teeth, avoiding her eyes. He shook his head, letting go of her and both of his hands fisting against his temples as his mouth formed the same words over and over again.  
>' I can't I can't I can't I can't I-I... I just can't! And I won't. I won't hurt you again.' Fionna swallowed, her eyebrows creasing together as she watched him. She really felt for him, but she was so sore. Nothing more could happen tonight.<br>Well, actually.  
>The galaxy is more than the star at its center.<p>

Fionna bit her lip, wondering whether she was really okay with experimenting like that. Even if it had already been inside of her for goodness' sake, that was a different kind of up close and personal. She hadn't had to actually touch it or even really look at it.  
>Ugh, she was mentally censoring herself again. His dick. She had not actually touched his dick.<br>'Marshall-lee... Do you trust me?' She parroted back his earlier words, shifting onto her knees and picking up his face in both hands. His eyes were wide and frightened, but as he comprehended her words they filled with disbelief.  
>' Course I do. You've never given me any reason not to.' She smiled at him, failing to notice the disbelief remained as Marshall realised he had told her the truth. He really did trust her. What the fuck, that was unprecedented. He trusted pretty much no-one, not wholly.<br>' Well then trust me. You won't. 'Cause _I_ can.'

**Author's note: And guess what? I'm back at highschool! hahaha ha ah ahah huh uhhuuuwaaahh *raises gun to head* So yeah, that's why this took so much longer because I have fucking homework and waking up earlier so I can't write at like four am anymore which is usually when I write best because what are circadian rhythms even. I think the next chapter won't be exclusively these guys again (so much for a fiolee story) as I want Cakers and Femme to get involved again, possibly Gumball and maybe even Flame prince will reappear! wow, very character, much story, so plot. God that's an old meme. I apologise. Anyways, I hope you guys can be patient for a lil' bit and yes, as you may have guessed from that ending, there will be either a handjob/blowjob next chapter. Haven't decided yet. Review and tell me what you'd prefe- *suddenly, Marshall* BLOWJOB, EVERYONE VOTE BLOWJOB- Get out of here, Marshall-lee *shoves*  
><strong>**See you in the next chapter!**

**-WRA**

**Guest reviews:  
>Guest: About now, I suppose.<br>MnMsRok: Guessing you couldn't be fucked logging in? Fair enough. And why thank you *flips hair***


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